Summer in the City
by novice242
Summary: Sequel to the completed story, Junior Year. Puckleberry near-future fic. Rachel goes to NY for summer camps. Puck gets to visit her there for a week, but spends most of the summer in Lima. A little drama ensues. M to be safe. Main characters featured. End
1. Summer Begins

**A.N. ** You might not need to read _Junior Year_ to follow this story—but you should anyway—it's a fun ride! (Kidding—sort of.) This will be a short multi-part story. Rather than including full songs, I'll post playlists on my new youtube channel :) Add this to youtube: /user/novice242?feature=mhum to hear the two songs mentioned in this chapter if you're interested in suggested listening. The two song playlist is called SiC-1.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee or anything familiar. Camps are loosely based on real camps.

...

**June**

Rachel Berry supposed if she would have been asked a year ago if there she could imagine herself having an enjoyable conversation with Tina, Mike, and Brittany, she would have said something verbose like: "While I have a vivid imagination, I find it hard to envision such a scenario that could be deemed _enjoyable_. _Pleasant_ perhaps, but _enjoyable_ may be an overstatement of any positive interactions I could expect." But here she was, at the airport waiting to board the flight to New York, having a truly enjoyable conversation with her three fellow glee club members.

Rachel wasn't surprised that she and Tina got along so well. They'd been growing closer over the course of their junior year. But while Mike had always seemed nice enough, and certainly up for dancing in glee, she hadn't had many interactions with him at all. And all of her interactions with Brittany had been negatively influenced by Cheerios, general snobbery, and some jealousy Rachel felt toward Brittany (and Santana) regarding a certain situation with Finn sophomore year.

Rachel supposed that her more positive feelings toward Brittany were influenced by flattery here in the airport.

Brittany returned from her trip to the ladies' room and sat down next to Mike. He put his arm around her and said, "This is the life. I'm surrounded by awesome babes and we're headed for an awesome place. Best of all, I've got my beautiful girl by my side," he smiled and jostled Brittany's shoulders.

Brittany smiled, but then looked confused. "What awesome babes?"

Mike was startled by the question and didn't want to get in trouble with any of the three girls around him over a misunderstanding. "I was talking about Tina and Rachel, Britt. You know, just acknowledging their hotness while saying that you're my number one."

"Oh."

Rachel took a glance to see if Tina looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

She did.

But then Brittany said some surprising things.

"You know, Rachel, I really like how your new side-swept bangs frame your face. And of course it's true that you've always had super hot legs. I guess I'm too used to saying mean things about you because of Santana and Quinn," she shrugged pleasantly.

Then she went on to say something nice about Tina along the lines of exotic beauty and shiny hair. But Rachel wasn't paying too much attention. She was in a state of happy shock over the odd compliment she'd just received.

So yes, flattery worked when it came to Rachel Berry. From that point on, the four students talked animatedly about how excited they were to get away from McKinley to go to camp in New York City. Tina and Rachel would be roommates at acting camp. Of course Brittany and Mike were not allowed to be roommates at dance camp, but Mike vowed it wouldn't stop him from "gettin' wit' his girl".

Tina and Rachel both blushed—TMI, anyone? But Brittany just nodded and smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world to talk like that in front of anyone.

Maybe it was. Perhaps by dating Noah Puckerman Rachel should become immune to such things. Noah certainly talked openly, as if he didn't have a filter between his brain and his mouth, and he had a thoroughly dirty mind. Rachel blushed more deeply at the thought of some of the things he'd say.

…

When Rachel got her first taste of acting camp on the NYU Polytechnic campus, she thought she'd be too busy to actively miss her boyfriend. But by the first weekend, she was positively pining for him. The camp itself was only two weeks long, and she had the good fortune of having a week off before she started her second camp in New York, the Broadway camp. The best part about having a free week in New York was that her amazing boyfriend would be visiting her during that week. She could not wait!

But she knew she was lucky to have a few familiar faces with her in New York. Unbeknownst to each of the girls until the end of the school year, both Rachel and Tina had applied to the acting camp at NYU. And Mike and Brittany had both applied to the dance camp occurring through the same program. So Rachel had a built-in network of friends with whom to spend her free time. And the network only expanded. Not that there was much free time. Acting camp was very rigorous—just how Rachel liked it. In the first week they learned techniques but also were being prepared to divide into small groups to produce film shorts, including their compatriots in the dancing camp. This allowed the participants to work together in semi-realistic settings for a full film production. This was geared to film rather than stage acting; and Rachel knew her strength and goal was for the stage, so she perhaps didn't concentrate on her work as hard as she could have—she had a long distance relationship to maintain. However, Rachel felt twinges of jealousy now and then when the drama coaches complimented others (like Tina) but made no remarks about her acting. Still, in spite of a few minor bumps, the whole experience was extremely valuable and would certainly further her goal of one day starring on Broadway.

As much as she enjoyed acting camp overall, the highlight of every day was her time talking or texting with Noah. Whenever she had a break in her scheduled, she would send him a text. If he wasn't busy, he'd call her right back. If he was busy, he'd usually still text her for a while. Today Rachel was in a small group for a performance in which unfortunately, she was only a supporting actress. But fortunately she had time before her next scene, and she felt well-prepared. So instead of running lines, she sent a text to Noah.

"Hey, baby," he said when he called her back.

"Hi, sweetie! I love it when you're available when I'm available! It's much more enjoyable to hear your voice, even though I do love your text messages too."

"What else do you love?" he said seductively.

"Noah!" she exclaimed before returning to a loud whisper. " I..I can't talk about that right now. But…I think you know," she finished with what she hoped was a flirty tone.

It definitely worked for Puck. He liked imagining her getting all hot and bothered before having to go on stage. But as that thought entered his head, he then worried that she'd use that tension in her acting… "Rach, you don't have any kissing scenes or anything like that, right?"

Rachel assured him she didn't, and then went on about the injustice of her supporting status while Tina was the lead in her small group. She could tell Noah was getting a bit bored based on his repetitive grunts in response to her story, so she switched gears and instead began to talk about how much she missed him and how she couldn't wait for him to visit. As Rachel was chatting away, she was rudely interrupted.

"Get a balcony," Mike said as he gave Rachel a playful nudge.

"What?"

"C'mon…nothing? Romeo and Juliet? We're at a performing arts camp for fuck's sake!"

"Oh, a balcony!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "That's very clever, Mike."

"Uh, yeah. I try," he shrugged. "Thanks, Rach."

"Who the fuck is that?" Puck barked into the phone suspiciously.

It was loud enough for Mike to hear. "Tell Puck to chill and that I said Hi."

"Noah, it was only Mike. He says 'hi'. He overheard me, and made a rather amusing comment. He said, 'get a balcony'. Like Romeo and Juliet. Clever, right?"

"Yeah, pretty fuckin' clever," he grumbled.

"Really, Noah, you seem to be reacting as if something is wrong when there is nothing at all amiss. Mike has been nothing but a gentleman who is clearly infatuated with Brittany."

"I don't know exactly what you just said, but I'll say this: there's a first time for everything. Chang could be a sneaky bastard trying to set up a little somethin' on the side with you. Better watch yourself, B."

"Noah Elijah Puckerman! You better watch _your_self! That's no way to talk to me or about your friend!"

Puck froze at her words. But not because he felt bad for what he'd said. "Dude, how did you know my middle name? I sure as hell never told you." Before he heard her answer, an image of Rachel talking to his mother entered his mind. Shit. "Did you hear it from my _mom_?"

"Of course I did, how else?" she answered simply.

"Hold up. You're telling me that you have secret conversations with my mom about me?" All Puck heard was hysterical giggling and sounds that indicated Rachel was trying to keep herself from laughing too loud. "It's not fuckin' funny."

She got a hold of herself and spoke into the phone, "Honestly, Noah, would it be that bad if I had talked to your mother without you present?"

"Uh…yeah, it would be."

"You can be so silly," she grinned into the phone. "But no, I did not have a clandestine meeting with your mother to learn your middle name and other unmentionable details about you. Yesterday when you and I were on the phone, she yelled at you about something, and she included your middle name. I suppose that's why it came out today when I was admonishing you."

"Let's try to avoid you doing anything to remind me of your similarities to my mom, k?" Because that shit's unnerving. It was something that was an issue now that he was dating Rachel but had never been an issue when he was with Quinn. Not that he could tell Rachel that. Ever.

"I will try not to bring up any similarities we may have, real or imaginary," she said solemnly. Then she smiled into the phone. "I scared you, didn't I?"

"Fuck yeah, you did!"

…

By the middle of the week, even students she hadn't met personally knew that she had a boyfriend because she was always getting text messages. Rachel smiled at every text. He always sent a text before and after football practice. She tried to answer every text too, even if it wasn't right away; and even when the contents of the message made her blush. They almost always talked to say goodnight before Rachel went to sleep. But since she was rooming with Tina, she couldn't very well say certain things out loud and make her friend very uncomfortable. She was determined to make this long distance summer arrangement work. And if that meant sexting with her dream-inspiring boyfriend every night, then that's what she was going to do.

Because Noah Puckerman was gorgeous, inside and out. And they fit together like he was made for her.

…

Besides sexting and generally keeping in touch with his girl, Puck had a few things to keep him busy while Rachel was away. He had football camp, and he had band practice too—and Josh was flipping out as expected while they prepared for their "big New York debut". Josh was like that—kind of a perfectionist when it came to performing—like Rachel. And Puck could understand why he wanted the shows to go well. Josh and the guys would be graduating from college next year and probably moving to New York to try to make it big. Of course, they were all going to get jobs or apply to school for Master's degrees or whatever, but their focus would be the band.

Between Rachel going to New York for college and the band, Puck was definitely (maybe) going to New York too. He just had to figure out the financial shit and actually get accepted somewhere.

Easier said than done.

But for now he was just concentrating on band practice so Josh didn't yell at him for not paying attention. They were mostly doing sets of songs they'd been playing for the past few months, but Josh insisted on adding some new ones.

As they finished playing some Pete Yorn tunes, Puck couldn't help but interrupt. "Dude, I get it that you're all emo over Quinn, but you're the one who pulled that stunt, so get over it and play some better shit. I'm thinking these are _not_ the best choices for getting the crowd to their feet in New York."

"Fuck off, Puckerman. This has nothing to do with Quinn," Josh lied. "You don't know what you're talking about. We're gonna be playing for people my age and older. You're too young to get it."

"I think everyone here knows what I'm talking about and the guys agree with me on this one," Puck said smugly.

"I don't know what you're talking about with the Quinn crap," Trey piped up from behind the drum kit. "But I don't care. I just wanna kick ass. And that means playing better songs, dude."

Josh knew they were both right, but he was too proud to admit it directly. He did, however, have an alternative song in mind. "How about this one from Pete Yorn instead? He's popular for the age range we're playing to, especially the New York crowds. This one is a bit…faster tempo."

So instead of _Crystal Village_, they went with _Life on a Chain _which the guys agreed was marginally less emo than the first. It was still a little iffy, but Josh persuaded them that the sound was unique and would be well-received in NYC.

Puck actually liked some of the chorus to _Life on a Chain_, and during the song he thought about Rachel. He wanted her to hear them play at least once in New York, and he knew her well enough to know she'd be too worried about getting in trouble with whoever makes the rules at her camp to go to the bar shows. So as they were finishing up their band practice, he made a request.

"Hey, Josh, can you set up some shows in all-ages venues, like coffee shops and stuff? Then we'd be able to play during the days too instead of just at nights—more exposure while we're there. And you know…Rach might be able to see one of our shows…"

"Good idea, Puckerman," Josh said right away. "…Then we might even get Rachel to perform some of the songs she assisted us with previously… It couldn't hurt. And I gotta admit, your girl can sing."

Puck nodded appreciatively.

"_Percussion Gun_!" Trey shouted over Puck's thank-you.

"Yes, Trey, we can ask her if she'll play with us for your favorite drum song," Josh said patronizingly.

Trey didn't seem to notice. He just did a fist pump and said "sweet!"

"Alright, then let's make this happen," Josh announced. "Eddie and I can call venues to try to get us some day gigs. Puckerman, you talk to your girl to make sure she's in. Trey…you…figure out how we're gonna transport all the equipment we need for your precious percussion-heavy song."

Josh wasn't sure if Trey could handle the job, but they still had a little while to work everything out for the trip to New York.

…

The two weeks he spent without Rachel Berry felt like the longest in his life since they'd been together. Sure they had that fight last winter, but since then they had been together pretty much all the time. Even when he had practice for the band he joined while they were fighting, Rachel was almost always there, hanging out doing homework while they played. And of course, because it's Rachel Berry, she had snagged a couple of performances with the band. Puck smirked at the memories. That was his girl-always a performer. But she was fucking talented, so it was almost like community service or some shit that she shared that with the world. (Or the small crowds at the OSU Lima Tavern. Yeah, ok, New York was definitely the place for Rachel.)

But today was the last day he had to endure of football camp before seeing her. He and the guys in The Relentless would be driving up to NYC that weekend and he'd miss a week of the camp, with permission for once, and that was cool since he'd be back in time for the official tryouts—though his spot on the team was a given.

"Well, man, I guess I'll see ya in about a week," Puck told Finn as they finished up football for the day. They headed toward Quinn and the other Cheerios who were finishing their practice too.

"Yeah, have fun in New York, Puck. Tell Rachel we said hi and stuff," Finn replied. Then he looked at his blond girlfriend who, despite cheering all day in the summer heat, looked radiant. "Did you want to give Puck a message to tell Rachel when he sees her?"

Quinn looked up at him, confused. She just finished doing a back-breaking cheer routine, and she felt a little out of it. "What?"

"I'm going to New York with the guys in the band, and I'm gonna see Rachel during her week off between her two camps," Puck explained.

"So you're really still friends with that jerk after what he did to me?" Quinn latched on to Puck's brief mention of 'the guys in the band' and thought about the terrible things Josh had said to her.

Puck knew immediately who 'that jerk' was. "Shit, Quinn. His brother is letting us play in his bar in Brooklyn. That's where Rachel is. Of course I'm going. You're seriously gonna be pissed at me for hanging out with Josh? Just because he said some fucked up stuff to get you to break up with him? I mean, I'm sorry he was an ass, but come on!"

"Wait, what did you say?" Quinn asked harshly.

"I said I'm sorry he was an ass." Puck shook his head at Quinn. One week at Cheerios camp and the bitch was back.

"Not that, before that," she said, sounding annoyed.

"I think you heard me," Puck said in a low voice, glancing at Finn. "I'm gonna hit the showers.

I'll just tell Rach that you both said 'hi' when I see her." Puck trotted off to the locker room to text his girl.

Finn wasn't stupid. Well, not when it came to emotions and communication and stuff. He already knew about how Quinn had broken things off with Josh Jordan, the 21-year-old lead singer of the band Puck joined on a whim that winter.

"Are you ok, Quinn?" Finn asked with concern.

"Oh, yes, thanks, Finn. I just worked really hard today. I'm pretty sure Coach Sylvester is going to name me co-captain with Santana by the end of the camp, but I have to earn it, you know?"

"So, next year will be kind of like getting back to old times?" Finn asked thoughtfully.

"I guess in some ways, yes," Quinn said. "Old times," she echoed.

Neither Quinn nor Finn were sure if they were happy about this realization.

…

After Finn dropped her off at home, Quinn tried to call Puck to get him to elaborate on what he said about Josh. She couldn't reach him. She tried messaging and email, but he didn't reply. After an hour of frustrated waiting, Quinn finally decided to use the number she probably should have deleted from her phone. She had changed the entry to JJ (Josh's initials) so just in case anyone (Finn) checked her phone, it wouldn't be obvious whose number it was.

It's not that she still had feelings for Josh. In fact, things were going really well with Finn and she was 99% sure they were falling in love again. But every now and then she'd here a song on the radio—either the romantic one or the break-up ones that Josh played—and she'd feel a stabbing pain in her heart. She wanted that to go away. She had to know if there was more to the story that she didn't know (but somehow Puck did).

So she called Josh.

He didn't answer—the first time she called at least.

She had no way of knowing that when Josh saw Quinn's number appear on his cell, he froze. Then he decided he needed to man up and get this shit over with. So when she called the second time, he answered.

"Sup?"

"Josh, this is Quinn," she started, pleased that the nerves she felt did not show in her voice. She had lots of practice with this skill.

"What can I do you for?" he replied, hoping to piss her off.

It worked.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I am calling to get an honest answer from you—I hope you're capable of that."

"We'll see," he said casually. "Ask away."

"Puck mentioned something in passing today—that you said things to _make_ me break up with you. Did you do that? On purpose? And if so, why? And why does Puck know?"

"That's rapid fire questioning, babe. Let's take this one at a time."

"You're stalling," she said, annoyed.

Damn right he was. "So what if I am? And so what if I did say those things so that you would break up with me? It worked. It's over."

"But why would you do that? I don't understand."

She sounded so sad and lost, he was starting to feel…whatever…for her again. Shit. He decided to lay it out for her as best he could without saying what he really wanted (that they should forget he did that and get back together). "Look, Quinn, I'm sorry I was such an ass. At the time, I thought it was the only way that you'd actually end things with me—and I didn't have the balls to do it. But I knew it was for the best. And I still think it was probably the only way we would have broken up, so while I'm sorry I hurt you so badly, I'm not sorry I did it."

"That still doesn't explain why you thought it was best that we break up. I just…I just need to know."

This time it was Josh's turn to sigh. "Fine. You deserve the answer. I saw you…with Finn…before Prom. You know how you were hinting that you wanted to go with me? Well, I fucking put on a suit and went to meet you. When you weren't home, I headed out to the civic center and saw you in the parking lot. You looked so happy, Quinn, so beautiful…"

Quinn felt her icy front melting a bit. He sounded so wounded. But she didn't interrupt.

Josh continued after clearing his throat. "Anyway, I just couldn't do it, Quinn. I have to focus on my future, you know, with the band and shit. I can't be competing for a place in your life. There's never gonna be room for me in your heart—not the way I wanted—if you still have feelings for your first love. And it was obvious that you did—that you do. We hadn't been dating that long—6 months—so I figured it would be easier to break it off now before we could get too hurt by each other. So I took myself out of the equation—by pissing you off royally." He chuckled a little.

Quinn couldn't help but release a light laugh too. "Yes, that worked like a charm." She felt the tension easing out of her body.

"I knew it would," he said. He had a bizarre feeling that they were talking like friends. It was weird, but kinda nice.

"Josh, I appreciate your honesty—even though it was way delayed and only after I forced you to do it."

"You didn't force me—I can't be forced into shit. I could have kept that secret with me—taken it to the grave," he said smugly.

"Oh really? Then how did Puck know about it? Is he your new bff?" she laughed.

"Fuck no. I mean, Puckerman's alright and all. But no, I didn't _confide_ in him or anything girly like that. He must have just figured it out. He's smarter than he looks, I guess."

"You might be right," Quinn smiled into the phone. Then she realized a bit about what Josh had said—or at least what she thought he meant—that it was hard for him to be in competition for her. "Josh, I don't want to make things hard for you, so I won't ask you to do the whole open relationship thing again. But if you want to be friends, I'm here."

Josh was afraid of this. No, he couldn't fucking be friends. And that's what he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her it would suck ass to see her if he couldn't be with her. Instead, he heard himself say, "Sure, that's cool, Quinn."

"Oh, great! I'm so glad I called you, I feel so much better!"

That makes one of us, Josh thought. But he said, "Yeah, well, I gotta run, Quinn. Talk to you later, ok?"

"Ok!" she said brightly. "Bye!"

"Bye." Then to the dead air he said, "I had my reasons, Quinn. I wanted to leave you alone, for both our sakes." Why'd she have to call? Well, maybe he was glad she called instead of showing up at his place or something. If he'd seen her face, those green eyes, heard her voice…he probably would have kissed her.

…

Quinn replayed the conversations she had that day and realized there was one more thing she wanted to try to accomplish. She called Puck again and left a new message. "Before you leave for New York, don't you think it would be nice to visit Dizzy? Just in case you get murdered by a mugger or something? Not that I think you will…but if you have time, call me back and let me know. I'm going to call Melanie Harris to see if we can stop by this weekend."

As she was getting off the phone with Dizzy's adopted mom, she got a call from Puck. She smiled. And she graciously accepted his offer to come with her to visit their daughter.

She was perfectly capable of visiting her daughter herself, but she felt an urge to see her now and she felt an urge for Puck to see her too. Like she said in her message, she assumed Puck would be fine in New York. But just in case something happened, it seemed like a good idea to see their daughter together. Quinn wouldn't call herself a mother (anymore) but ever since having Diana Isabel, she felt more emotional about certain things, and she felt as if she had a better understanding of how fragile and precious life can be.

…

At NYU, Rachel Berry was not the star of her small group production, while Tina Cohen-Chang was getting lots of praise. What was the world coming to? She was sure Mike and Brittany were being hailed as exceptional dancers too. Rachel had to constantly remind herself that she didn't always have to be the best at everything. It was too bad she wasn't the best at this, though. Maybe she should have given it more effort instead of devoting much of her time to contacting Noah.

There was no singing for this acting camp, and she was often told that she exaggerated her expressions while she was acting—in a way that was good for the stage, but was over-the-top for film purposes. She had to hold her tongue to prevent herself from reminding her instructors (too often) that her goal _was_ the _stage_ (thank you very much). But this was the final performance, so she didn't really need to worry about it anymore. She was counting down the minutes to when she'd see Noah. And she was looking forward to Broadway camp. Surely her skills would be better appreciated there.

…

Quinn and Puck drove out to Mitch and Melanie Harris' house to spend some time with Dizzy. She was more beautiful than ever.

"She used to look even more like you, Noah," Melanie told them. "But she's growing more and more like you, Quinn, every day. It's amazing. And she's just a joy."

Noah looked at his adorable daughter. "You're right. She still has my nose, and her hair is darker than Quinn's, but everything else is her mom," he said in awe. "She's got your big green eyes, Q."

"I would say the color is a mix of ours. But I think you're right about the shape." Quinn felt a surge of happiness. Maybe it was biology and the idea that she'd successfully passed along her genes that was to blame for her sense of joy, but she felt comforted by the thought that she and Puck had done something good.

"Come here, Diana. Say hi to Miss Quinn and Mr. Noah," Mitch Harris said as he pointed to the guests.

Puck flinched a bit at being called Mr. Noah by his daughter. The little girl toddled happily toward them. She babbled something that her adopted parents obviously thought was close enough to the names Noah and Quinn.

"She's a really good talker once you get her going," Melanie assured them. "She's very advanced."

Puck and Quinn found out for themselves, as Dizzy started talking away once they all started playing with her in the Harris' living room.

Melanie interrupted once to tell them that their daughter wasn't familiar with the nickname 'Dizzy'.

Quinn gave a pained smile. "Of course. That makes sense that you wouldn't call her that like we did. I still appreciate that you kept her name. We'll try not to use that nickname while we're here, won't we, Mr. Noah?"

Puck raised his eyebrow at Quinn when he heard her call him Mister. "Yeah, sure. Miss Quinn."

When they left their daughter after their play date, they both felt a mixture of pride and sadness. They were so proud of how lovely Dizzy was. Quinn couldn't identify the source of her sadness, but it seemed that it was partly, stupidly, because her daughter would never be called Dizzy again.

Puck didn't know exactly what was making him feel sad, but when he thought about his future—how it seemed to be mapped out for New York after graduation—he wondered if he could live that far away from his daughter.

He supposed he'd figure that out later. He only visited Dizzy a few times a year. He could still do that if he went to college in New York with Rachel and played with the band there. For now, all he was talking about was going there for a week. And he seriously couldn't fucking wait. There was just a small part of him that wasn't so sure about the future.

…

Puck didn't think about it too long. The guys were at his house to pick him up for the trip shortly after he got back from dropping Quinn off at her mom's house. He had just enough time to double-check his packing job and say bye to his mom and the squirt before they arrived. Trey figured out that between his van and one other vehicle, they could make it to New York. Since there were four of them, they could split into pairs for driving. Puck had been hoping to fly to get there a hell of a lot quicker and not waste time, but it was true that they saved money driving and would need the van there anyway to haul their shit for gigs. It was about an 11 hour drive, so he'd basically waste a day coming and a day going. He wondered if he could get away with flying home to give himself some extra time…

He packed his stuff into Josh's car, since Eddie had already claimed shotgun in Trey's van. Puck volunteered to drive the entire way from Ohio to New York, but Josh figured out what he was up to and said it wouldn't be fair to make someone else drive the whole way back. Then he said that he wasn't willing to drive the whole way, but if Eddie or Trey would do it, then Puck could do whatever the fuck he wanted.

He was obviously in a pissy mood, but Eddie was _the man_ and said he'd drive on the way back. So Josh headed over to Trey's van and made Eddie and Puck swear that his Buick would make it in one piece.

Puck kinda wanted to smack the douchey-ness out of Josh—and it had been a while since he'd felt that way. But he decided to give the guy a break since he was obviously not getting over Quinn fast enough. It helped that Puck didn't have to suffer in the same car as Josh now—so he didn't have to think about his whiny ass.

He and Eddie had a pretty good drive—with Puck driving and Eddie navigating. They talked a bit, which was kinda cool since Puck had always thought Eddie was pretty chill but hadn't talked to him much. They sang along to the radio and dumb shit like that to help stay awake.

…

When they finally reached the New York state line, Puck reminded Eddie that he was supposed to meet Rachel at the airport. Of course, to do this he had to wake his sleeping ass up.

"Wait, why are you meeting her at the airport? She's been there for a while already right?" Eddie asked drowsily.

"Yeah, she's saying goodbye to some of our friends who were at the same camp. She originally figured I'd be flying in, so it made sense at the time that we'd meet there. Now it's just easier that you drop me off there, and Rachel and I can get a cab together to her hotel."

Eddie nodded and promptly fell back asleep while Puck called Josh to make sure he remembered the plan so that Eddie could follow him to Josh's brother's place. Once at the airport, Puck dug out his duffle bag and gave Eddie the keys to Josh's car to drive the rest of the way. "I'll call you guys later to coordinate for our first gig. But don't call me. I plan to be busy." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

That got a chuckle from Eddie, who shook his head. "Wouldn't dream of interrupting, man. See ya later."

Puck headed into the airport and called Rachel to find out where to meet her.

"You're just in time!" she said happily. "They're just about to go through security! If you hurry, you'll get to say hello and goodbye!"

"Cool. See ya in a sec," he said before double-timing it to the start of the security line. He waved to the group when he spotted them. "Hi guys, hope you had a nice time at camp and a good flight home." He was pleased by his awesomely good behavior.

So was Rachel. And Mike, who grinned widely.

"Thanks, man," Mike said. "It was a good time, wasn't it, Rach?" He jostled her shoulder for good measure. Mike thought it would be fun to get a rise out of Puck.

It totally was.

Puck narrowed his eyes as he watched the exchange.

"Have a good visit, Puck," Tina said, trying to break the obvious tension.

"Yeah, have fun this week," Brittany said. "See ya when you get back."

"Uh, thanks Tina, Brittany. I guess you guys have to get going, huh?" he said—subtlety wasn't his strong suit.

"Yes, you really should hop into the security line," Rachel said. "I'm so glad we were able to have this great experience together."

Then there was more cutesy talk that Puck ignored. But he started paying attention when Rachel kissed Tina on the cheek to say goodbye. Nice! Then Brittany. _Ni-ice_! Then Mike Chang. _Not cool_. Puck must have given a look that revealed his thoughts because Chang rolled his eyes at him like it was no big deal. And it really wasn't. It's just that Puck's first reaction was to want to kick Chang's ass. Whatever. It was natural.

As the gang headed back to Ohio, Rachel grabbed Puck's hand and beamed up at him. "Are you ready for our epic adventure in New York together?" she enthused.

"Totally," he smirked. Then he dropped his duffle to lift Rachel up in his arms and swing her around for the dizzying hello-kiss she deserved.

He grinned at the dazed look on her face when he set her down. "Let's get out of here, babe. I'm beyond ready to get you alone in that hotel room."

She gasped a moment and looked around—as if afraid someone would overhear and be offended. But then she grinned slyly at him in return with a sexy, "Me too."

Well, shit. That did wonders for his already healthy mojo. He pulled her next to him, wrapped one arm around her waist, and hauled her tiny ass alongside him as he raced through the terminal to get outside to hail a cab. They had important business to attend to asap.

Rachel squealed as she tried to keep up. As soon as they gave the driver directions, she sighed happily, "Noah, I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too, Rach. You have no idea."

"I think I have an idea," she said—again with that sexy voice. Then she leaned over and started kissing him—in the cab!

Hell yeah!

"I'll show you how glad, baby," he told her smoothly.

"I'm counting on it," she smiled.

Damn. He couldn't wait to get his hot and horny girlfriend back to their hotel. It was gonna be a long night. Guaranteed.

"Oh, you are so in for it," he growled in her ear.

She bit her lip and looked delighted at the prospect.

Fuck. They really needed to get back to the hotel already.

…

**A.N.** Hope you liked the introductory chapter which gives a brief refresher on what happened in _Junior Year_ and sets up the story in New York. Reviews help inspire me to write! I already know some of what we'll see, but feel free to make your suggestions!

**Disclaimer:** Balcony line inspired by the show _Angel_.


	2. Those Summer Nights

**A.N.** This chapter has an accompanying "photo log" with Rachel's notes: /watch?v=YM0mLRR3I0g. There is also a playlist: /user/novice242#grid/user/C006829EB7ABBB06. Add the links to the end of the address for youtube or see full links in my author profile page. Thanks to **Maiqu**, whose cast introductions vid helped inspire the photo youtube video I made. (First video ever.) I realized that I led people to my Author Profile for the description of Josh in the _Junior Year_ story, but needed to do that again for this story. Then facing some writer's block, I got carried away with pictures, but I hope you like the result. Shout-out to **Karma22** since I vaguely remember that we talked about a Glee yearbook project a long time ago, somewhat like this idea. And thanks to **LizzayMartini** for reasons she knows.

**Disclaimer.** I do not own Glee or anything familiar.

…

The longest cab ride ever finally ended and the driver let them out in front of the Hilton. It was two blocks from where Rachel would be attending Broadway camp in just over a week. Puck wasted no time admiring the sights on the busy downtown street. All he wanted to admire now was Rachel. He led her into the hotel, but when he had no idea where to go, she led him to the elevators. And they totally scored by getting into an empty elevator so they continued the make-out session that started in the cab.

"I missed you so fuckin' much," he said into her neck before continuing to work his magic above her collar bone. His hands explored her body, which he hadn't felt in two weeks. "You're so hot."

"You're amazing," she breathed. His hands, his lips, were doing amazing things and she couldn't wait to get to her room.

As soon as they closed the door to her room, he dropped his duffle bag, then his pants.

Rachel giggled as she followed his lead—though she started with her shirt and loved the way his eyes tracked her progress. She had made sure to wear very sexy black lingerie in anticipation of this moment. And she could tell her plan was having the desired effect. Noah Puckerman did not need any coaxing (and really Rachel Berry didn't either—the cab ride, elevator trip, and the removal of their clothes had more than prepared them both).

Puck tossed Rachel onto the king-size bed and took a moment to marvel at her sexiness in the largest bed they had ever shared before he jumped on top of her. She laughed again before pulling him close to kiss his lips. But soon Puck moved down to kiss her body as he rid her of the black bra first. He knew she loved it when he mauled her boobs and he loved it too. Then he dipped one hand into her panties, felt how ready she was, and continued the motion to slide the remaining undergarment off. She shuddered already when his thumb made brief contact with her most sensitive region. Puck decided he'd take a little time with this, but they had all week to work on long marathon sex. They both needed a fast and furious re-introduction to each other.

Rachel indicated that she couldn't agree more.

…

As they started their second round of re-introductions, a phone rang.

"I told those fuckers not to call me," Puck complained as he continued thrusting. "I'd call them."

"I think it's my phone," Rachel admitted from below him.

"What, no crazy ringtone?" He grinned, then realized he'd gotten off his rhythm and worked double-time.

Rachel moaned lightly then responded concisely, "Not yet. New phone."

"Forget it. Ignore it," Puck told her.

"It's distracting..."

Puck didn't completely disengage, but he felt around on the bedside table and answered the phone, thoroughly pissed. "What?"

"Hello? Is Rachel there?" Quinn asked, confused. "Puck, is that you?"

"Shit, Quinn. Bad timing. She'll call you back."

"Wait! How are you guys? How was the trip?"

"Seriously, you're making small talk with me? I'm in the middle of something. Take the hint," he said through gritted teeth. "If this is the shit you wanna know, call Josh."

"I guess I could. Did he tell you we're sort of friends now?"

"Don't give a shit." Puck hung up the phone and tossed it on the floor.

"Hey! That's my phone!" Rachel exclaimed and gave him a light slap on the arm. "And what did Quinn want?"

"Nothing. She literally called about nothing. Now get your head in the game. Let's get back to it." He thrust himself inside her for good measure.

"But now I'm not…there anymore," she said as she halted his hips. "And you should know sports metaphors do not drive me wild."

"I drove over 11 hours to see you. And I did all the driving so I'd have the chance to maybe stay an extra day with you and fly home. The least you could do..."

"Really? Staying an extra day? I love you so much!" she pulled his hips back toward her and then did the same thing with his face so she could give him a passionate kiss.

"Now that's more like it," he smirked when she stopped for air. Then he proceeded as planned, with a little more focus to make sure Rachel _got back there_ again promptly.

…

A few miles away in Brooklyn, Josh saw Quinn's number appear on his phone. Weird.

"Going from no talking to talking twice in one week?" he answered, skipping the 'hello'.

"You could say that," Quinn answered.

"So? What's up?"

"Nothing, I just called Rachel's phone, but Puck answered and basically hung up on me because I was clearly interrupting them, so..."

"Oh, seriously?" he groaned. "Why did you have to mention that? I _know_ about it, but I don't wanna _think_ about it!"

"You mean, you don't already talk about stuff like that? I'm sorry to corrupt you," she laughed.

"When guys talk, it's different. I'm gonna have to see those two all the time this week, you know? I don't wanna be thinking about them all up on each other."

"You'll be seeing your brother and his wife every day there. You don't think they have sex? Or your parents? Why do you have to start picturing sex just because you're aware that they have it?"

"I can't hear you! I can't hear you!"

"You're so immature."

"You are!" he said petulantly. Then he laughed. It was sorta nice to laugh again with her. "Anyway, thanks for ruining my evening with sex talk that's the opposite of sexy. I trust you've accomplished what you wanted?"

"Yes, I suppose I have. I just called to check in and make sure everyone arrived there safely."

"Yeah, thanks..." he almost called her _mom_ and stopped himself. It would have been a joke about her motherliness, but as he was about to say it, he realized it might bring up painful memories about how she really is a teen mom, even if her daughter has adopted parents now.

After a bit of a pause, Quinn replied. "Ok, I'll talk to you later. Tell everyone I said hello and good luck on your trip."

Josh said goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" asked Eddie.

"Don't worry about it."

Eddie didn't press for details. Fortunately for Josh, Trey was in the shitter—otherwise, he would have kept asking until Josh gave some type of answer. Trey had no social filter.

"Let's just practice," Josh said.

…

While it was an 11 hour drive from Ohio to New York, the flight took Tina, Mike, and Brittany about two hours. As they headed toward the baggage claim, Tina began searching through her carryon bag for her phone.

"Calling your parents?" Mike asked her.

"Actually, I'm just going to send Rachel a text to let her know we got home safely."

Mike pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'll do it," he said. He smiled to himself at the thought of Puck's reaction.

"That's sweet of you," Brittany said.

"Yeah, I'm all considerate like that."

But Tina saw the evil grin on his face. "That's ok, Mike. I can handle it."

"Too late," Mike said. "Already started…and now it's done!"

Tina rolled her eyes. "You're a troublemaker."

Mike shrugged. "I'm just texting a friend to let her know we're home. And doing a favor for another friend, you, who couldn't find her phone right away."

"That was nice, right?" Brittany asked Tina.

Tina didn't have the heart to explain why she didn't think it was so nice. "It seems nice," Tina said, flashing another look at Mike, who laughed at her.

"Look," he showed her the outgoing message. "Perfectly innocent."

…

"You've gotta be kidding me," Puck said when Rachel's phone indicated the incoming text. He rolled over in bed and picked up her phone from where he'd thrown it. "It's from Chang? Mike fucking Chang is texting you?"

"Mmm…what's it say?" Rachel asked drowsily.

"You don't mind if I look at your private messages?" he asked.

She giggled. "Private? It's from Mike. It's probably just saying they got back to Ohio. It's been about the right amount of time, I guess."

Puck read the message. "Yep, that's what it was. You're right. "

"I know."

Puck threw a pillow at her. "You know, huh?"

She laughed and threw it back. "Yes. And I know something else. I'm getting hungry."

"Yeah, that was a pretty good workout. Wanna order room service or something?"

"I think we can save a little money if we go pick something up…and you did say you want to try to fly home…so we'll need to try not to spend too much on extras, right?"

Puck grinned as he faced her in the bed. "Always thinking up there, aren't you?" He ran his hand over her head and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Always," she affirmed in a soft voice as she looked into his eyes with a small smile.

Puck stared back at her for a few moments, trying to figure out if there was something more being said that he should understand.

Then Rachel's stomach growled, breaking the moment. She flushed with embarrassment, and he laughed, so she started giggling too. "Sorry, I guess I'm hungrier than I thought. I'll throw on some clothes so we can get that food."

Puck threw on his t-shirt and jeans and waited for Rachel to get ready. When she picked up her purse and her camera, he paused.

"Why do you need that? Planning on doing some restaurant sight-seeing?"

"No, silly. I'm capturing moments. I want to remember every moment with you."

"You should've taken pictures during my performance a few minutes ago. That was worth remembering!" He smirked down at her as he closed the distance between them.

"That's true," Rachel said, blushing. "But I'll keep the photos non-pornographic—in case my dads get too nosey."

"But I thought they don't know I'm here in New York with you."

"They don't," she admitted. "But I think discovering that you were here will be less of a punishable offense than discovering pictures of the dirty, dirty things we did during your visit."

Fuck, saying _dirty_ like that was too damn sexy. "Oh, that was a low blow, Berry. Getting me all hot for you after I know you're starving."

"I think I can make it through a quickie without too much detriment to my glucose levels."

"Uh huh. I heard what I needed to hear." He started stripping. "Get naked."

"Oh, you're so romantic," she rolled her eyes.

But she obeyed.

…

They found a restaurant across from the hotel that was open late (even for minors) and had food that was considerably cheaper than what they could get at the Hilton. Of course, Rachel insisted on a picture. Puck wasn't sure if he could deal with all the picture-taking, but when he saw the result and thought about having the photos to look at when he went back to Lima while Rachel stayed in NYC for Broadway camp, he figured it was worth it. While they waited for their order, Puck decided he should go ahead and call the guys to figure out the plan.

Josh told him they were set to play at his brother's place tonight, but Rachel freaked out when he passed along this news.

"I'm not ready! And I'm exhausted!"

He smirked. "It's cool; they can do one show without us."

"Oh, I don't mean to keep you from playing. You can still join them without me. I'll be involved next time."

"Nah, seriously. They'll be fine."

Josh was rolling his eyes as he listened to their conversation over the phone. "Puckerman, it's fine. You're right. We've played without you before. We can do it without you tonight."

"Thanks, man. We'll come by your place tomorrow to work out the rest of the details."

"Yeah, good. We have two shows lined up. One at an all-ages place for Rachel, like you asked. And one at night at my brother's club. We'll need some time to practice the new stuff with Rachel."

"Sure thing. Later."

Puck and Rachel spent the rest of the night alone together, still unconcerned about plans for sight-seeing outside of the hotel room.

…

The next day, Puck and Rachel managed to wake up early and head over to Brooklyn Heights to meet the guys at Josh's brother's place. Rachel realized that all she had were casual camp clothes, along with two nice dresses. She selected the nicest casual outfit she had with her—a pleated red skirt and a short-sleeved navy sweater with a yellow bow embroidered on it. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she had a startling realization that this was the outfit she wore the first time she met Jesse St. James at that music store last year. But it was a perfectly good outfit, so she certainly wasn't going to get rid of it. And it was the only suitable outfit she had to wear for today.

"I think I need to go shopping for performance clothes, Noah. I didn't know I'd be invited to join you with the band when I prepared for my trip."

"Yeah, sorry about that. It kinda came up last minute. But thanks for agreeing to do it. Trey really wanted to do _Percussion Gun_, and then Josh got all these other songs in mind that involve piano or you singing."

"New songs? I didn't know I'd have to learn new songs! What are we waiting for? There's so much to do! New clothes, band practice, scheduling…!"

"Chill, Berry," he commanded with a chuckle. "You're the master. You'll pick up on the songs like they're nothin' and if you don't, we won't play those. Just because Josh is all bent out of shape over Quinn still doesn't mean we have to play all of his whiny break up songs."

"Oh, is that what the new songs are about? Well, I'll try to humor him since music is very therapeutic, but you're right, if we can't work out the arrangements in time, then we won't play the new ones."

"Yep. Look who's right this time," he said proudly.

"Look at that!" she smiled up at him before giving him a quick kiss.

"Alright, let's go," he laughed, shaking his head.

They made it to Brooklyn Heights and faced a row of renovated brownstone homes. They double-checked the house number with the address Puck had stored in his phone. "Ok, this is it." He rang the doorbell and was greeted shortly after by a tall blonde woman with greenish-hazel eyes.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Rachel and this is Noah. We're here to see Josh and the other guys in the band. Are we at the right place?"

"Oh, yes, you are. Hello, I'm Liv, Josh's sister-in-law. Please come in."

They entered to glimpse a well-decorated home, along with a blonde man in the room at the end of the foyer…playing…Guitar Hero?

Liv caught the direction of their stares. She laughed lightly. "That's Jake, Josh's brother. I think they're all playing in his study; leaving me to fix breakfast for the horde, of course. Would you care to join us?"

"No thank you. We ate breakfast at the hotel. But thank you for offering," Rachel said politely.

Liv smiled and led them into the room where all of the guys were gathered around playing Guitar Hero. The décor was different than the rest of the house—a wall of stark white bricks flanked another white wall decorated by modern art, a large entertainment center, and a sizable aquarium of exotic fish.

"Welcome to Jake's room," Liv said. "Jake, do you mind greeting our guests? And guys, these are your friends, right? Spare a glance to acknowledge them?"

"Huh?" Jake grunted, distracted by the game. He looked up at the two new people in his home. "Hey, I'm Jake. Make yourselves at home. These guys sure have."

Rachel introduced herself and Noah to Jake, but seeing that they were obviously not interested in interrupting their game, she held Noah's hand and began browsing around the room. They settled at the aquarium, with Puck sitting on a stool and Rachel leaning over his shoulder. A flash of light surprised them, and they turned to see Eddie lowering a camera.

"I couldn't resist. It wasn't my turn on the guitar, and you two looked so peaceful. And Puck hardly ever looks peaceful. And from what I've seen of you, Rachel, you're always running around or busy doing homework. It seemed like a good moment to take a picture."

"Wow, thank you, Eddie!" Rachel beamed. "I've been trying to make sure to take pictures of good moments for my calendar of memories—instead of taking too many pictures of the sights. So I really appreciate that."

"Sure thing," Eddie shrugged.

"Calendar of memories?" Puck turned to Rachel. _What_?

She nodded and was about to describe her intent in great detail when Trey interrupted. "Guys, I think we're heading to see what Liv made for breakfast. You coming?"

"Nah, man, we ate already. Thought you guys would be waiting on us instead of the other way around," Puck replied.

"Late start. We won't be too long."

Puck and Rachel didn't want to interrupt their breakfast, but Liv insisted they join them at the table and at least have something to drink. "You probably have band talk to discuss, and you can start over breakfast."

"I do have a question, actually," Rachel said. "I am planning on purchasing some new outfits for the performances with the band this week. The attire I packed is not appropriate." Everyone looked at Rachel's outfit and agreed silently. Trey nodded. Rachel continued, "I wonder if you could direct me to the types of clothes I should buy? What types of venues will we be playing?"

"Well, I can speak for ours," said Jake, blue eyes scanning Rachel, then Puck. "The patrons dress like hipsters, with the girls usually more dressed up than the guys and the guys looking like they're not trying too hard." He flashed a brilliant grin, "But really they are. I think if you get some trendy tops, nice jeans, maybe a skirt, you'll fit right in." Rachel felt a little defensive, but she had asked for advice on attire, so she nodded at Jake. He turned from Rachel to Puck. "And guys who are in bands tend to just wear t-shirts and jeans, so you'll be fine, Mohawk and all."

"Don't knock the 'hawk. It plays with the ladies," Puck defended himself and bragged simultaneously. Rachel gave him a look to express her mild irritation at his mention of his 'player status'.

Jake let out a laugh. "I like you. I bet you bust Josh's balls."

Puck shrugged. "When necessary."

"Whatever," Josh glowered.

Rachel decided she should change the subject, but the first topic that crossed her mind was not ideal. However, she blurted it out before she realized her mistake. "So, Josh, you and your brother have a strong resemblance. Have you noticed that Liv has the same hair and eye color as Quinn?"

Josh looked at Rachel, then looked at Liv. "No, I hadn't noticed. I don't think they look alike at all. But I guess they do have the same coloring or whatever. Are you suggesting that I'm genetically predisposed to going for blondes with greenish eyes?"

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry. I'm good at putting my foot in my mouth."

Puck decided not to say the obvious come back regarding what else she was good at putting in her mouth.

"Who's Quinn? Is that your girlfriend, Josh?" Liv asked with a smile.

"Not anymore," Josh shrugged.

The smile slipped from Liv's face. "I'm sorry."

Josh shrugged again.

"I'm sorry for bringing her up," Rachel said. "I feel terrible."

"Don't worry about it. She called me yesterday. I guess she's forgiven me and wants to be friends or something," he said dully.

"Well, that's good news," Rachel offered.

A third shrug from Josh was followed by, "This breakfast's great, Liv. Thanks for making it and putting up with us. I think we better hit the road soon so we can get this girl something to wear that doesn't look like it came out of the school uniform catalogue."

Rachel's jaw dropped and her brows furrowed at the insult. But he had a point. And he was in a bad mood. So she let it slide. This time.

Puck didn't really think anything of Josh's comment until he glanced at Rachel and saw the look on her face. Then he felt shitty because he used to say stuff like that about her all the time. Sometimes to her face. Hell, sometimes he still does.

"Dude!" Puck exclaimed. At the same time, Liv admonished, "Josh, I think you should apologize for that remark."

Josh turned around from his spot on the stairs. "Sorry, Rach. I didn't mean to be an asshole. I just am sometimes."

"It's ok, Josh. I accept your semblance of an apology. You were lashing out. And I'm sorry I brought up a painful subject. But don't worry, I have experience dealing with jerks."

"Me?" Puck asked her.

"Well, you used to be kind of a jerk sometimes," Rachel answered.

Puck nodded. "That's probably an understatement."

"Probably," she agreed—to his chagrin. "But now you're the mature, loving boyfriend who defends my honor against those who would besmirch it."

"Aw, that is so sweet," smiled Liv.

"Besmirch? Who the hell says besmirch?" asked Trey. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I guess I can figure it out from the context. But dude, that's a weird thing to say."

"Welcome to my world, man," Puck said.

"You should thank me for broadening your vocabularies," Rachel announced.

"Thank you, Miss Rachel," Eddie joked.

Puck flashed back to his visit with Dizzy—when the names Mr. Noah and Miss Quinn were given to the real parents of his daughter. He stopped paying attention to the action around him for a few moments.

"Yeah, we would be besmirched without you," Trey added as he flopped down on the couch in the study, preparing to go back to playing Guitar Hero now that breakfast was over.

Rachel started to define besmirched for Trey so he would be able to use it correctly, when he explained that he was joking. Puck interrupted them.

"So, wait, are we gonna stick around here so you can tell us the gig schedule and we can prepare? Or did I just hear Josh say you guys were coming shopping with me and Rachel?"

Josh emerged from upstairs to say, "Yeah, we'll go with you guys. We can talk about the schedule while we're out. Multi-tasking. And maybe we'll see good deals on clothes for us too."

"Doubt we'll find deals in New York compared to Ohio," Trey pointed out. Josh glared at him in response, so Eddie and Trey took their cues to finish getting ready—basically they needed to brush their teeth and grab their wallets.

…

Josh was their guide for shopping since he knew the area from previous visits. Rachel was more familiar with Manhattan than Brooklyn, though she had spent two weeks at NYU's Polytechnic campus, she didn't know much about the shops. She was pleased they stopped at a place where the guys actually purchased a few things so that she wasn't the only one on a spree. Josh informed them that they'd be having dinner at a nice restaurant that night with Jake and Liv, Rachel made sure to look for nice clothes not only for herself, but also for Noah. When he found a great blazer and shirt, she was quite excited. "Oh, I should charge these to the credit card! We need to save money for you to fly home."

"Are you sure? I don't know…" Puck said hesitantly.

"I'm sure," she said as she proceeded to place their items on the counter and hand her credit card to the cashier.

On their way out of the shop, Rachel was so pleased with the outcome that she had to take a picture of Noah carrying his shopping bag. Besides, he looked gorgeous in his sunglasses; it would be a shame not to capture that.

Puck took the camera from her and began snapping pictures of Rachel instead—some when she didn't know it and some when she posed happily. It was pretty amusing.

They went to one more store for Rachel because she was having trouble finding her sizes, but Josh said they needed to cut shopping short. "We're supposed to be at Daze soon, and we haven't practiced at all."

"So what's Daze like?" Rachel asked.

"It's pretty casual. And it's just around the corner from Jake and Liv's house, so we won't have far to go."

"That's convenient," Rachel remarked. "And that's not the same place we're playing the late show, right?"

"Yeah, but it's related. Calling around to some of the local places didn't work out as well as we'd hoped, so I had to ask another favor from my brother and Liv. They're letting us play in all of their places."

"All of their places?" Puck asked. "I thought you said your brother owns a bar. One bar."

"He does. Liv is the rich one. Dude, if my brother were rich, do you think I'd be stuck at OSU Lima? No."

"But he's rich too, right? If she's rich? So why are you still going to school there?"

"First, this all happened recently. Second, I don't wanna owe my brother more than I already do. Third, there's only one more year left before I go to New York to mooch off of their success while we try to build up the band, so I'm not gonna ask them to pay for my tuition to a more expensive school."

"Ok, man. Got it." Puck said, surrendering.

"Let's get back, run through the new songs with Rachel, and then get to Daze, k?"

And that's what they did.

Their first show went pretty well. The venue was a casual café restaurant with a store for books, movies, and music. Daze was a small local version of the big chain stores with an eclectic flair. Rachel enjoyed singing duets instead of being relegated to backup vocals. Puck snapped a picture of her during the sound check—since he figured she'd think her first New York café performance was a memory moment. He was only slightly jealous of her place with Josh in the spotlight. He'd originally joined the band with the understanding that he would play guitar and sing backup, so for the most part he just sat back and enjoyed the idea that he was actually playing a gig in Brooklyn with his girl and some pretty cool guys.

After the show, they transported their equipment back to the Jordan house, and Josh suggested that they all just get ready for dinner there. "Since you guys just bought clothes," he told Puck and Rachel, "you could just shower here and get ready instead of going back into the city and coming back."

They agreed. Fortunately, Rachel had a few personal items with her, and Liv let her borrow a few other things—including her hair dryer and curling iron. Liv and Jake left before the gang, saying they had a few things to take care of, but they would meet them at dinner.

Josh directed them to the restaurant, Flavor, which appeared to be well-liked by the locals, given the crowd. Josh by-passed the line and went to the hostess stand, and they were immediately directed to a large table, complete with white linens. Puck pulled out the chair for Rachel (he was very pleased with himself for remembering she liked that kind of thing).

Rachel was pleased too.

Eddie noticed the looks they exchanged and asked, "Picture moment?"

"Yes, please!" Rachel nodded gratefully.

Shortly after the camera flashed, Jake and Liv arrived to join them.

"Wow, you all clean up nicely," commented Jake, in a back-handed compliment that only Rachel and Liv were skilled enough to recognize.

Rachel thanked him anyway because she knew it was true that she looked nicer in her black dress and curled hair then she had looked that morning in her 'schoolgirl uniform'.

"Jake, for heaven's sake," Liv chided. "You all look fantastic. I'm so glad you could join us for dinner tonight, and we're pleased that you're performing for us this week."

They proceeded to have a nice dinner, getting to know the Jordan family a bit more. Finally, it was time to pay the checks and prepare for their night show at Jake and Liv's club—cleverly named LIV. When explaining the name, Jake said, "Well, I bought it because of her, and it's a killer name."

Puck began to fish for his wallet, though he noticed nobody else was doing the same.

"This is our treat," said Jake.

"What? Oh no! If I would have known that, I wouldn't have ordered dessert!" Rachel moaned. "Thank you, but I really can't let you do that."

"Forget about it," Jake said with a brush of his hand. "We own the place." He put his arm around his wife.

"Oh! Then in that case, thank you, and the food was amazing."

"You're welcome," he chuckled. This was followed by the telling of how Liv's father owned several restaurants, and after his recent death, Liv inherited two of them. Profits from running the restaurants went toward Jake's dream of opening a bar and Liv's dream of having her own bookstore café.

They headed back on foot to their home base where Rachel primped again while the guys loaded up the van and changed out of their dress clothes and into t-shirts and jeans. They drove into the city where LIV was located—and it was definitely another popular spot.

To Rachel's delight, Puck even offered to take a picture of Rachel with the guys in the band backstage before they went onstage.

Again he figured she'd want it for her memory moments or whatever it was she was doing.

The plan was for the guys to play some of their songs that didn't need keyboard accompaniment (or female vocals), and then Josh would introduce Rachel. So Puck gave her a 'see ya later' kiss and went on with the guys.

Rachel waited backstage while the band opened with _Airstream Driver_. She knew they needed to establish themselves as their own entity and she was only a guest musician, so she had no problem waiting through the first few songs. Besides, she was having fun bouncing around to the beat and pantomiming to the lyrics in Noah's line of sight. She could tell he was trying to keep from laughing. Then when she bit her finger with playful sexiness for the line "your watermelon candy mouth" she could almost hear his imaginary groan.

They started a second song she hadn't heard them play before, and the lyrics caught her by surprise. Even though Josh was singing lead toward the audience, seeing Noah look at her the way he was when singing "I'm surprised that you've never been told before, that you're lovely, and you're perfect, and that somebody wants you", well, it was moving. And when they sang "that you're priceless, yeah you're precious, even when you are not new," it brought tears to her eyes. Fortunately, she composed herself as the last strains of the guitar sounded.

"Will the girl who someone dedicated this song to please take the stage for your New York City debut?" Josh said with a smirk into the microphone.

Rachel blushed as she emerged from backstage.

"Hey!" a blonde called from the audience. "You mean you weren't talking about me, baby?"

Josh winked at the chick then held out his hand to Rachel, winking at her. Rachel smiled as Puck clenched his fists.

"I was!" Trey shouted to the blonde, over Eddie's "How _you_ doin?" (in his best Joey impression from _Friends_).

Rachel walked toward Puck to take her place at the keyboard, and he noticed she looked a little shaken. "You ok? You're not nervous, right?" he whispered.

"No. I'm just a little taken by the song lyrics and the look you gave me. I'm swooning over you, Noah, that's all."

He beamed widely at this and took the opportunity to give Rachel a quick kiss on the cheek, but he didn't have a chance to reply as Josh was introducing Rachel and starting the next song.

"As you can see," started Josh, "the object of our affection is joining us on keyboard, and she'll lend her vocal talents as well."

Rachel didn't want her name to be announced just in case there would be any repercussions of playing the bar—she doubted there would be any way that someone would link her back to either of the high school camps she was attending this summer—and it was her break between the two camps, but she didn't want to risk it. She played along and sang backup for several songs, and then it was time for a few duets with Josh.

_Static Waves_ was the first duet—a somewhat low tempo and rather touching song. Rachel continued playing keyboard, but Josh pulled up a stool to play guitar so they could sing the duet together. She thought their first performance was going quite well.

Puck thought so too—it was going too well. Josh and Rachel staring into each others' eyes and singing all slow—even if it was supposed to be a break up song—it was making his stomach turn. They didn't look at each other like that in all the practices.

They picked up the tempo for their duet of _Relator_, which featured Rachel in the opening before Josh even sang a note. It was still a break up song, and as Josh sang "You don't relate to me, no girl," another girl in the crowd yelled out "Forget her! I'll relate to you!" This was followed by another girl shouting, "I'll take the one with the Mohawk."

Puck just raised an eyebrow but didn't stop playing since Josh and Rachel were soldiering on with their duet.

…

After the show, Josh announced, "That's it, the Mohawk has to go."

"What? Why?" Puck ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, my brother already not-so-subtly mentioned it. Then the girl tonight. It doesn't fit the vibe we've got going for the band. But hey, to make it fair, I'll get my hair cut too."

Puck scratched his head as he pondered whether to go along with it or punch Josh in his douchey face.

"It will grow back, Noah," Rachel whispered in his ear. "I wouldn't mind seeing you without the Mohawk for a while again."

He gave her a squeeze. "Fine. I'll do it. Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll ask Jake to recommend a place and get us appointments."

"Cool."

"I'd like to have an appointment as well," Rachel piped up. "I could definitely use a stylist's attention before our next show. And I may purchase a few more performance outfits," she grinned.

"Oh here we go. Thanks, Josh," he said with playful sarcasm.

"Anytime, dude."

…

The next morning they headed to the Jordan house first, since they still wanted to practice a bit more with Rachel in the mix. They needed to get an early start since Rachel still had more shopping to do, they had appointments at the salon for the much-anticipated haircuts, and they had a show that day.

In some trendy boutique, Puck spied a hot shirt on a mannequin. It was light gray with some sparkly shit, but what caught his attention were the cut-outs that totally showed off the plastic boobs. "Hey, Rach, check this one out. Wouldn't that be an awesome top for performing on stage?"

Rachel bit her lip nervously. "I'm not sure…You don't think that would be too…revealing?"

"Only in a good way. Here, I found an extra small for you."

"Well, since you made the effort to find my size, and actually remembered my size, how can I refuse to try it on?"

"You can't."

She smiled but was doubtful that she'd make the purchase. But after she tried on the blouse, she realized that it looked quite…sexy. Looking at herself in the mirror wearing the top and the tight black pants she'd picked out, she felt like maybe, just maybe she could be pretty enough for her sexy boyfriend. She would never have the same beauty as his first love Quinn, but she knew external beauty wasn't everything. And even though she had some lingering fears that Noah would get bored of her (while she knew she'd never ever tire of him—even when he was a jerk), she felt that things were good in her life and she felt better about herself than she probably ever had. She decided to buy it, but she didn't show Noah how it looked on her. She decided to wait until she could get her hair styled so the impact would be greater.

Puck was surprised to see Rachel walk straight to the register and pay for the shirt. "I don't get to see you in it?"

"Not yet," she smiled.

"Evil," he said.

"You know you love it."

"Yeah I do," he admitted with a grin.

"You guys done being stupid-cute? We've got appointments to keep," Josh reminded them.

"Coming!" Rachel called. She decided to take Josh's comments as mostly good-natured. Otherwise, she might be pulling her hair out over the annoying things he tended to say.

Rachel's appointment with a stylist was first since Josh assumed it would take longer for a girl to get her hair cut.

He was right.

So Rachel missed taking a picture of Puck getting his Mohawk shaved off, but Puck managed to get a picture of Josh looking like a douche getting his hair cut. "I'm just capturing this moment for Rachel, since you two have become musical soul-mates or whatever," Puck announced as he lifted the camera. Josh flashed a peace sign and a goofy smirk. DOUCHE!

Meanwhile, Rachel took the opportunity to change so she could show off her new outfit and her newly-styled hair.

It went over quite well.

"Holy hell," said Puck.

The other guys whistled and Trey started clapping and affecting a British accent, "Good show. Bravo. Good show." Josh and Eddie joined in with the impression proper British applause.

Rachel laughed, "Thanks, guys. I guess this means you approve."

They all nodded rapidly, and Puck quickly walked up to Rachel and scooped her up for a kiss. "Damn, you are so hot, baby."

Rachel was so relieved he thought so. She knew she didn't have a very…voluptuous figure, but it was nice that what she had was appreciated. "Thank you. I do feel more like a rock star in it. Shall we drop off my shopping bags at the hotel before our next show?"

"Sure."

"Do you guys want to come with us?" Rachel asked.

"Cool," Trey said.

Puck raised a questioning eyebrow. He'd been hoping for a chance to get Rachel alone…and out of that shirt.

Rachel knew what he was thinking. "This way we can ride with them instead of taking a cab. Saving money," she reminded him.

"I guess it's a good call then," he grudgingly admitted.

They headed out to walk the few blocks to where Trey's van and Josh's car were parked. As they were walking, Puck decided to get a picture of Rachel in her "rock star shirt". "I gotta get a picture of this," he told her as he stopped her on the sidewalk. He didn't add "for the spank bank"—that was implied. But as excited as he was to see Rachel looking so hot, he started noticing stares…tons of random dudes staring at his girl's tits. Not fucking cool. He stopped her again and started buttoning up her jacket.

"That bad?" she asked, nervous that he changed his mind and now realized how ridiculous she looked.

"No. That good. I'm afraid someone off the street is gonna grab you up, and take you down an alley, and…" he trailed off because he just couldn't say it. Just the thought was doing a number on his stomach.

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm not _that_ irresistible," she said playfully. But she could see he wasn't amused. "Besides, you would protect me."

"I sure as hell would," he affirmed vehemently. "But let's not risk it. How about you keep that buttoned up on the street, ok?"

She agreed.

They made it to the cars and Rachel gave directions to the hotel. Traffic sucked, but they had to haul the equipment for their gigs, so they had to do it anyway. Once inside the hotel, Rachel unbuttoned her jacket again—it was summer after all, and the jacket was warmer than it looked.

"Dude!" Trey said. "Stop right there, you two."

"Us?" Rachel asked.

"Check it out," Trey elbowed Eddie and Josh. "They match each other and the wallpaper! Like camouflage!"

Rachel and Puck looked at each other to see that indeed, they were wearing shirts of a similar shade of gray, which also resembled the wallpaper in hotel hallway. Rachel flattened herself against the wall and shifted her eyes from side to side. "Do you see me? Did I disappear?" she joked. And to her delight, she got some laughs, though they were at a slight delay.

"We have to take a picture of this," Josh declared. Rachel found her camera in her bag and handed it to him. She took her place against the wall, playing up her joke. "Get over there, Puckerman," Josh commanded.

"Come join me, Noah. It's a memory moment!"

He trudged toward her, displeased not so much by the awareness they were in matching attire, but by the looks on all the guys' faces when Rachel had planted herself against the wall. They were definitely staring at her boobs. He glared at the guys from his spot next to Rachel.

After Josh snapped the shot, Puck said, "That shirt might be my worst idea ever."

"Why? What's wrong?" Rachel asked.

"Everyone's been staring at you. Even them!" he gestured to the guys.

"That's absurd!" Rachel insisted, crossing her arms.

"You're just making it worse," Puck pointed out, nodding and looking down at her chest.

Rachel realized that she had succeeded in pushing her breasts together, which sure enough had attracted the attention of the guys, who were openly staring. She dropped her arms to her sides. "Fine. If I ever wear this shirt again, it will be over another shirt." She stormed off down the hall.

"Aw, don't do that," came Trey's disappointed cry.

"Thanks for ruining it for everyone, Puck," Eddie grumbled.

"Shut it, fuckers. If you hadn't been staring, maybe I wouldn't have said anything." Unlikely, but maybe. He'd been uncomfortable since after he'd gotten over the initial thrill of seeing her boobs and moments later made the realization that everyone else was seeing them too.

Rachel made it to the hotel room and closed the door forcefully before Noah and the guys caught up with her. Frustrated, but ever resourceful, Rachel pulled on her black tank top, and then put the gray cut-out shirt back on. She left her shopping bags in front of the closet and grabbed her purse. Exiting the room, she said, "Here, I'm ready. Let's go."

Puck sighed and followed his speed-walking girlfriend.

"Great, now we have to do a show with a pissed off chick," Trey lamented out loud.

Rachel spun around and glared at him. "I'm a professional. I will be fine."

"You can't blame us for looking, Rachel," Eddie said as he caught up to her.

Rachel stopped walking abruptly. She opened her mouth, but instead of the tirade Puck was expecting, she actually took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to that type of…attention. It was…unexpected."

"Are you crazy?" four guys exclaimed nearly simultaneously.

Rachel nodded ruefully, "It has been said."

"I guess if you wear those sweaters with animals and bows on them all the time, you wouldn't be used to guys staring at your boobs," Trey said with a shrug.

Eddie added, "Yeah, we don't usually stare at your boobs either. But it was really hard not to…" He looked mournfully at the black fabric covering the skin that used to be bare for all to see.

"Ok, honesty hour is over, guys," Puck announced, taking Rachel's arm. "We all agree that the shirt was a mistake, and that you shouldn't have been making my girlfriend uncomfortable with your stares."

"More like we were making _you_ uncomfortable," Josh said. "Rachel was perfectly fine until you said something." He gave Puck a pointed look. "But we should also apologize for objectifying our lovely guest musician, even if she didn't realize we were objectifying her."

"Yeah, sorry."

"Sorry, Rachel."

Rachel accepted their apologies and looked expectantly at her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry too?"

"Thank you," she said simply. It was easier than going into detail now why the inflection of making his apology a question was not the ideal response. "Let's put this behind us and get ready for the show." She sped up again, and the guys couldn't help but stare at her ass.

…

As they waited to go onstage for their second show at LIV and their third show in New York, Puck figured he should make sure things were right with Rachel. "I really am sorry," he told her. "I'm an idiot. A lot." He gave her puppy-dog eyes to show how sorry he was.

Rachel smiled and forgave him easily. "You can do something to make it up to me…"

He raised his eyebrow. "Here?" He thought she was asking for a sexual favor.

She wasn't.

"Pose for a picture for me!" she exclaimed. "You sit here in this chair with your guitar, and I'll take a picture of just you. I was in photography club, you know. If I have good lighting and a good subject, I can take a rather excellent picture. And you are the subject I want to photograph the most."

He sighed. What else could he do but bend to her will? "Fine. But I'm not gonna do anything cheesy."

"I wouldn't dream of asking," she assured him with a smile. "Just sit here, strum your guitar, and look dreamy."

"Look dreamy?" he laughed. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't I always?" he joked smugly.

"Yes! You do! Exactly! Just act natural, and I'll capture the right moment!"

Puck settled into the chair and posed as she asked. The whole situation worked to put Rachel in a much better mood than she was after the whole shirt thing, so Puck felt like it was worth it. He figured he had enough tension about the show as it was without adding an upset girlfriend to the mix. She was oblivious to his annoyance, jealousy, whatever it was. It just…bugged him to watch Rachel singing with Josh. The band was announced and Puck left Rachel backstage for those first few songs. During those songs, he felt fine. He was perfectly cool with Josh when the dude was singing to the ladies in the crowd.

…

This time Rachel was more prepared for the emotional impact of _FNT_, the song that choked her up the first night. And this time, Puck was slightly more prepared for the punch in the nuts delivered by Rachel singing to Josh. The combination of _Static Waves_, _Relator_, and _In my Veins_ told a sad but beautiful story in Rachel's mind—it was just sucky in Puck's mind. They finished their set with one of the two feeling better than the other. But Puck wasn't feeling too bad since they ended with an awesome version of _Percussion Gun_ and received a great reception from the crowd. That lessened the ego blow of The Rachel and Josh Show.

They started packing up, with Rachel humming happily.

"Rachel? Is that you?" A man put his hand on her shoulder, and she turned to face him.

"Professor V.? Hello," she said uncertainly. It was disconcerting to see him out of the environment she'd grown accustomed to seeing him.

"You were wonderful up there. I didn't realize you could sing so beautifully."

"I—" Rachel stopped herself from saying 'I told you I was a singer and that I wanted to be on Broadway.' Instead she said, "I appreciate that. Thank you, Professor."

He waved his hand. "We're not in the acting workshops anymore. You can call me Frank."

"Ok, Frank, thank you."

"I have a question for you and your band."

"Oh, it's not my band," Rachel said quickly, glancing nervously at Josh. "I'm just a featured guest, you could say. This is Josh Jordan, the founder of the band The Relentless. Josh, Noah, Trey, Eddie, meet Professor V. I mean Frank."

After the handshakes all around, Puck settled on putting his arm around Rachel's waist, staking his claim on his girl. This professor guy was old as shit, but he didn't want him thinking that Rachel was with Josh—like everyone else was probably starting to think. Stupid duets.

"Well, I have a question for all of you," Frank continued. "I had a cancelation at my club. For tomorrow, so this is very short notice. I was planning on stepping up and singing, but that's what I always do when something comes up like that. Since I heard you two singing," he looked at Rachel and Josh, "I think you'd be a great find."

"Why, thank you so much!" Rachel beamed.

"Now, my venue is a little different than this one. We have our singers do more traditional performances. Instead of you two playing instruments, I need you to sing and put on a little show. Oh, and we also prefer men to wear suits," he glanced over the casual attire of the young people in front of him. "And I'm sure you have a nice dress you could wear for the occasion, right?"

"Of course!"

"So if you could focus on the duets and some mellow selections, it would play really well with our mature crowd. You'd be helping me out and getting a little exposure," Frank added.

Puck interrupted. "Josh plays guitar and Rachel plays piano. I can do both, but not at the same time," he almost scoffed. "If you say they both have to sing without playing their instruments, I'm not sure we can do most of those duets—at least not without some changes."

"Ah, yes, son. Here, take my card. You figure out what selections you'll play and what instrumentation you'll be missing. We just don't like to hide our star singers behind the grand piano—and there will be no keyboards," he wrinkled his nose. "Send me an email and I'll set up my house band to play what you need. They're very good."

"Thanks," Puck nodded as he accepted Frank's card.

"Again, great show, kids. Just show up at 5 tomorrow. You'll go on for our dinner show at 6."

Everyone thanked Frank and then returned to loading up their gear. Jake and Liv approached to congratulate the band too.

"Was that Frankie V?" Jake asked.

"Why yes, Professor V. was my instructor in my acting workshop over the past two weeks, and he just invited us to perform a dinner show tomorrow!" Rachel answered for the group.

"That's great!" Liv exclaimed.

"Yeah, Frankie V has a nice place! Look at you, little bro, makin' connections, going places," Jake said as he clapped Josh on the back.

"Oh, would you mind if I get a picture of you three?" Rachel asked the Jordans. "I'd love to have it as a record of this trip. And you've been so generous to us by allowing us to perform and opening up your home!"

They agreed, though Liv seemed reluctant. "I'm not photogenic," she explained.

"Neither am I," said Rachel. "But memories our important to preserve," she rationalized as she took the picture. "See? You all look great," she said as she showed Liv the picture. "I'll send you a copy."

The band continued backing up their equipment, but Rachel was buzzing around on a performance high.

"What a fortuitous meeting!" Rachel enthused. "I'm so pleased that Frank happened to be in this place at this time—so serendipitous!"

Josh chuckled and looked down at Rachel. "Are you sure you're only 17?"

"Dude, don't even think about it," warned Puck.

Josh rolled his eyes, "I'm talking about her vocabulary, Puckerman."

"You better be. Let's hurry up. We've got a lot shit to do for tomorrow."

…

They drove back to the Jordan place to unload the equipment. All the loading and unloading of their stuff was getting annoying, but it was a necessary evil. After they talked about the selections for tomorrow's performances, Rachel and Puck went back to the hotel.

"Finally I can get you out of those clothes!" Puck said, pinning Rachel against the door.

"Who knew one shirt could cause so many problems? Maybe I should just take this off," she said as she slipped it over her head.

"Damn, who's the idiot who told you to buy that shirt?" Puck said, only half-joking.

"Hmm…who would suggest such a thing?" she joked along with him, before stretching up to nibble his lip.

"A fool," Puck murmured into her lips. That little biting trick of hers was about to drive him crazy. "But he's gonna make it up to you now."

"I'd expect nothing less," Rachel said as she pulled off his shirt.

Her expectations were exceeded.

…

**A.N.** My YouTube channel will have "spoilers" of the photos and playlists posted before the chapters. Also, if you message me on twitter, I'll give away some news too :) Finally, I had no idea that some of the songs I picked for use were featured on certain tv shows until after I picked them—and some will be re-featured in the next chapter. Hope you don't mind!

**Disclaimer.** After I decided to make this picture log, I was inspired by the following quote:

"Take lots of pictures. Not of sights. Don't take pictures of buildings. Take pictures of moments, because that's what matters."

Shawn Spencer (Psych on USA)


	3. Midsummer Nights' Dreams

**Chapter 3.** Midsummer Nights' Dreams

**A.N.** This chapter again has an accompanying "photo log" with Rachel's notes (new photos): /watch?v=7ZJ7vM7iF9o There is also a new playlist: /view_play_list?p=A88AC66175126EAA

Add the links to the end of the address for youtube or see full links in my author profile page.

I tried desperately to upload vids with the songs by dog's eye view called The Prince's Favorite Son and Would You Be Willing (from _Junior Year_), but they were blocked every time. You can listen to full versions of those songs with a free last fm account, or you can listen to previews on that site without an account, and I own the songs... Those were the songs I chose and didn't have time to figure out new ones after all the time I wasted trying to make the vids and my busier-than-usual weekend.

**Disclaimer.** I do not own Glee, any songs mentioned, or anything familiar.

…

When he and Rachel were alone in the hotel room at night, Puck felt like everything was awesome. Better than ever. But it had been two full days of Rachel and Josh singing all those duets, and then _they _(meaning Rachel and Josh) got asked by that Professor Schmuck to do some special show, Puck felt left out and a little unsure if he really liked New York. Rachel was in her element, and it was obvious. Puck might have been a little depressed about how the trip was going if it hadn't been for the great sex he got to have every night. And the good shows for the NYC audience were pretty cool. And just being on their own together was awesome. But mostly, it was the sex that kept him feeling great every night and every morning. It was only as the days wore on that seeing Josh and Rachel all smile-y and sing-y got under his skin.

Their third morning together, Puck opened his eyes and stretched out his arms to realize that Rachel wasn't in bed next to him. He was starting to get used to sleeping with her every night—just the act of wrapping his arm around her every night as they fell asleep was…comforting (?). Whatever it was, he knew he was going to miss it. But he smiled when he heard her singing in the shower. He decided to sneak in and surprise her. He was already naked from last night, so all he had to do was quietly walk across the room and open the bathroom door. Then he had a moment of panic at the thought that she'd slip and fall if he really did surprise her, so he knocked on the door to announce his entrance.

"Hey, Rach. Mind if I join you?" he asked in his sexiest voice.

She turned off the water and emerged from the shower already wrapped in towel.

Damn.

"I just finished. But I could return to bed now that you're awake and I have your attention," she smiled playfully, looking him up and down.

"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed as he pulled at her towel.

She fought to keep the towel around her—but only until she reached the bed. She giggled as she slipped under the sheets, leaving him grasping the wet towel. He promptly tossed it on the floor and joined her in bed.

…

An hour later they were both ready to head down to the subway to meet the guys in Brooklyn Heights. They had to finish working out the details of their show for Rachel's acting professor and figure out the rest of their show schedule for the week. Rachel thought that they should just skip the daytime show they had planned to do at Liv's café Daze so they didn't strain their voices for the show she cared about the most.

This idea was not well-received.

"Dude!" cried Trey. "If me and Eddie—_and_ Puck—have to play lame backup music to you and Josh singing your duets and shit, we should at least be able to do a show with the rockin' set list we had planned for Daze!"

Eddie nodded and crossed his arms. So did Puck, who stepped toward the other two guys in a show of solidarity.

It was then Rachel learned that there was a completely new set list planned for that show—one in which she was only featured in one song. She was on the verge of a protest when Josh played peacemaker.

"Look, I'll just ask Liv if we can play at Daze _after_ the show for Frankie V. I'm sure it'll be no big deal."

It wasn't.

"That's not a problem," Liv said. "Thanks, guys, for talking to me about the scheduling issues. I told my sister she should check out your show, so now I won't send her to Daze at the wrong time."

"No, thank _you_, Liv," Rachel said. "We really appreciate your flexibility and your contributions to the band's success."

Trey nudged Eddie and rolled his eyes behind Rachel's back. But Puck and Josh both recognized that Rachel's skills could be useful—kind of as manager and promoter for their band. And there was the fact that her connection to the acting professor had already scored them a gig that wasn't achieved by nepotism. Oh, and she could sing better than almost anyone. Anyone.

They all thanked Liv and headed to "their room" in the Jordan basement to practice. Trey and Eddie said they needed to rock out for awhile on the set later that night, and Puck decided he needed to stop feeling pissed as Josh and Rachel bent over the sheet music together to figure out what they would ask the house band to play. And the best way for Puck to stop feeling pissed was to join Trey and Eddie playing some rock music instead of those ballad duet things.

So Rachel and Josh moved to the study where they could continue their discussions while the 'boys' played the songs for the second show.

As they headed up the stairs, Josh asked, "So, have you talked to Quinn lately?" He glanced down at her as he opened the door to the study to let her enter.

"Oh!" she gasped. "You just reminded me! She called the first day Noah arrived, but he's the one who answered the phone! I never called her back!" Rachel settled down at the large desk which apparently Jake and Liv shared, considering the presence of two chairs. Josh pulled up the other chair. Rachel continued, slightly calmer. "I recall that Noah told her to call you, so I assume you've talked to her. How did that go? You said earlier that you two were friends now… I can't believe I didn't think to ask about it sooner!"

"Um, no problem. We've been preoccupied with the shows. But yeah, it was fine." Josh shifted his eyes uncomfortably. Then he smacked his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Rachel exclaimed, completely at a loss to explain his behavior.

"It's nothing… it's just you reminded me of what was going on when Quinn called you..." Even though Josh had been half-joking with Quinn about picturing Puck and Rachel doing the deed, it was actually happening to him now. Maybe if he'd never seen most of Rachel's boobs in that shirt the other day, the images probably wouldn't have come so easily to his mind. He'd already caught them in the act back in December in Puck's truck. So he had plenty of ammo for mental images.

Rachel was blushing because she assumed Quinn told him what she'd interrupted. She composed herself before saying, "Well, we should try not to let that be a distraction..."

He shrugged with a smirk. "Easier said than done. Believe me, I'm trying. I do _not_ want to think about what I'm thinking about. At all. I mean, maybe I didn't mind catching you in the parking lot that night," he grinned at her as she crossed her arms and huffed indignantly. "But I do mind now that I have to actually work with you guys."

"This is very unproductive and unquestionably inappropriate. Please cease ruminating on…natural activities of two people _in love_…and please return to thinking about whatever you normally think about when you see us so we can focus on the task at hand."

"Sorry." He gave her a sideways glance and Rachel was pretty sure that he looked her up and down before scooting his chair farther away from hers.

"Why are males so sexual all the time? And childish! Stop thinking about it this instant!" she commanded. "Here, back to work," she reached across him to pull the music sheets toward him, to get him to focus. Unfortunately, in the process her breast grazed his arm.

He pulled back like he'd been burned.

So did she.

"That didn't help," he said after an awkward pause.

Rachel just gaped at him as she hugged her arms to her chest, feeling mortified.

Then Josh started laughing. The moment was so uncomfortable for no real reason, and he realized how funny it all was. The images disappeared from his mind. "Actually, that did help," he told her. "Problem solved. Tension's gone, right?"

Rachel's face softened, and she finally laughed too. "Good. I'm glad we've gotten past that ridiculously juvenile behavior so that we can complete these arrangements and practice our set!"

"Alright, alright," Josh said as he moved his chair closer to Rachel's. "I'm ready to get this done."

They finished the musical arrangements and still heard the guys playing. So Rachel suggested that they work on a little choreography for their songs since Professor V asked them to "put on a little show" instead of hiding behind musical instruments. They were singing softly and doing some steps around each other when Puck cleared his throat and walked into the study.

"Hey, you two ready to come back downstairs? Seriously, dude, are you done spending quality time with my girlfriend yet, or what?"

Josh raised his eyebrow and put up his hands in surrender.

Rachel walked toward her boyfriend. "While I'm ironically turned on by your macho possessiveness, it's unnecessary, and in this case it's counterproductive."

"Huh?"

"There's no reason to be jealous when to Josh these words are about Quinn, which you already know since you called them his whiny break up songs about Quinn," she eyed Puck as Josh looked at them both.

"Hey, wait a minute," Josh protested.

Puck rolled his eyes and Rachel just looked at Josh with a sympathetic smile, so Josh gave up and decided to let those two work it out.

Rachel continued, "We're acting. I did just finish up my acting camp, you know. You're just causing us to practice this more with your interruptions. Wouldn't you rather we just perfect the songs, perform them, and be done with it?"

"No," Puck said sullenly. "I'd rather you not do it at all."

"Are you serious?"

"No. Do your stupid duets," he sulked.

"Thank you, we will," Rachel said primly. Then she turned to Josh with mock seriousness. "Just don't fall in love with me, ok?"

He smirked. "I think I can handle that."

"See, Noah? No problems. Since you boys are done, we'll join you downstairs. That way Josh and I can sing with your musical accompaniment."

Rachel led the way, and they headed down to the basement floor of the brownstone. As she took her place, she turned and said, "Josh, I think we practiced _Static Waves_ enough, do you agree?" He nodded. "Let's continue by starting with _In My Veins_, shall we?"

Puck strummed his guitar, hard. "Ready."

…

They had to dress up for this 'fancy dinner show' but they didn't have to bring their instruments because Professor V. assured them they could use the house instruments rather than lugging their own equipment. The guys suited up and Rachel wore the deep blue satin dress she had brought from home based on the suggested packing list for Broadway camp. But she reasoned that as long as she steamed the dress after the performance tonight, she'd easily be able to wear it for Broadway camp.

"Is this ok? My hair is a little flat today, but I know we have to get going…"

"You're beautiful, Rach," Puck said seriously. He totally meant it, but he was also hoping he could use a heartfelt compliment to get away with not apologizing directly… Because he was sorry for upsetting her but he wasn't exactly sorry for not wanting to watch Josh and Rachel make google-y eyes at each other.

"Thank you, Noah," Rachel said quietly, casting her eyes down to the floor. He sounded so sincere that she thought she should believe his words.

Puck was a little worried by the way she wasn't looking at him, but then she looked up she had a small smile on her face, and she reached up on her toes to kiss him.

Deep down, a tiny part of her was pleased that Noah was jealous (even if it was absolutely uncalled for), and she didn't need an apology since she could tell how he felt. And a big part of her was pleased that he called her beautiful—even if she thought he was exaggerating.

"Yeah, Rachel, you look great," Eddie added. Trey gave her two thumbs up. "Ditto," Josh said simply.

"Thanks, guys," Rachel said politely. "I'm glad you're willing to do this even though Professor V asked for mellow songs and duets that aren't entirely…to your liking."

Josh waved his hand. "It's cool, don't worry. You're giving us more connections and exposure beyond Liv's places, so it's win-win." He looked back at the other guys to make sure they were agreeing with him.

They were.

…

Across town, Frank met them and ushered them to the stage, announcing them as "Rachel Berry, Josh Jordan, and The Relentless Three," which was the first thing that got Puck feeling a little annoyed.

But when Josh got to the stage, he made a slight correction by saying, "Thank you. We're The Relentless. That's Puck, Trey, and Eddie," he gestured to each one. "And we're joined by our special guest, Rachel Berry."

So things were going ok with their set until they got to a few lines in the song _Static Waves_ that just _had_ to come with ready-made choreography.

Josh sang, "You swayed your hips and stole the breath that I was taking,"and hell if Rachel didn't do a little hip shake and Josh didn't put his hand on her hip. They really did that shit! Somehow he heard taunting in his head _oh no he did-n'_t.

Then there was a part where Josh held Rachel's hands and they looked into each other's eyes all sappy, and Puck had to fight the urge to hurl all over the fancy-ass stage.

By the end of the show, Josh and Rachel thought everything went wonderfully as usual. Puck, Trey, and Eddie were mildly peeved at the whole thing which seemed like a waste of time because this wasn't their music or the style they wanted to continue doing. And Puck was just a bit pissed on top of that because he had to suffer through the worst episode of The Rachel and Josh show so far. Hopefully it wouldn't get any worse. It couldn't, right?

…

It wasn't until they finished the show that they realized Liv and Jake had been in the audience. Puck didn't have a chance to confront Josh about putting his hands all over Rachel since he didn't want to look like too much of an ass in front of everybody. Liv and Jake were flagging them over to their table.

"Now I know who was taking the pictures," Josh said, shaking his head.

"Yes, it was me," Liv nodded sheepishly.

"Oh, I assumed it was something the venue did for their historical archives!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Yeah, 'cause we're so important," Trey joked.

Rachel pouted a little before she realized she was doing it. She tucked her lip back in promptly. "You're right. How silly of me," she said.

"Not so silly," Frank said, approaching the group. "We actually did take a few photos for our records," he told them.

Rachel beamed and fought the immature urge to stick her tongue out at Trey in triumph. Puck grinned because he could practically read her thoughts. He was just putting his arm around his girl when Professor Shriveled Balls grabbed her elbow.

"Can I get a picture with the two of you?" he asked her, and everyone knew he meant Rachel and Josh.

"Certainly!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Of course," Josh answered.

They posed for Frank's photographer, and Liv snapped a picture too, promising a copy to Rachel.

"Why don't you stay and have dinner during the second show?" Frank offered.

"Thank you, Professor—I mean, Frank," Rachel said. "But I think we have to be going to another show," she looked questioningly at the guys, and then at Liv, since she owned the venue they were supposed to play at next.

"Oh, the schedule at Daze isn't really much of a schedule," Liv said. "We're free-spirits. You can just play tomorrow. It's just a café after all; we're not expected to have live music every day. You deserve a nice meal after your excellent performance. Besides, I was expecting Viv…" she looked around the restaurant.

"Viv?" asked Trey. He elbowed Eddie at the thought of a hot chick joining them. Eddie nodded and grinned at Trey's enthusiasm.

"Yes, my sister," Liv explained.

"Well, let's get you seated with room for one more," Frank suggested.

After they ordered their drinks, a tall slender blond with blue-green eyes rushed toward them. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Olivia."

Liv stood up and kissed her sister on the cheek. "No worries. Everyone, this is my sister Vivian. Viv, you remember Jake's brother, Josh, from our wedding, right?"

Vivian smiled as she shook Josh's hand. "Yes, I remember, Best Man. It's been a few years."

"Two years, Maid of Honor," Josh replied with a half-smile. "Let me introduce the guys… and Rachel."

Introductions were made all around, and everyone seemed entranced by the lovely Vivian and her story of why she was late—even Rachel couldn't really take her eyes off of her. She was like a cross between the girl-next-door and an angel.

As she finished describing "the shenanigans Bobby and Trevor pulled at The Perch" involving a whipped cream fight, she proceeded to apologize again for her lateness. "I'm terribly sorry that I missed your performance. Olivia promised that it would be worth it. But I couldn't leave until things were under control. And I couldn't show up covered in whipped cream."

The males at the table raised their eyebrows, thinking versions of the same thing. Two of those males received swift kicks to their shins under the table by the females sitting next to them.

Jake and Puck both suppressed their grunts of pain as best they could.

"Well, you look lovely, sweetie," Liv told her sister. Everyone nodded in agreement as they appreciated the black dress she wore.

"Wait, why couldn't you call the owner or something?" Trey asked Vivian. "Then you could've seen us in action and leave him to clean up the mess." He grinned at his cleverness.

"Actually, I _am_ the owner," Vivian told him, with a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"But you're like, our age!" Trey protested. This did not compute.

"Aw, thanks for flattering me," she smiled. "I'm actually 25. So I've finished college, and I have my MBA," she said proudly. "But you're right, I probably wouldn't own my own place if it weren't for the untimely death of our father," she finished solemnly.

"Sorry," Trey said simply but sincerely.

"Thank you." Vivian looked around the table as she tried to break out of the somber mood. "But that just means I'll have to catch you for your next show, right?"

"That'd be great. We're planning to play at Liv's place tomorrow, if that's ok…" Josh looked questioningly at Liv.

"It's completely ok," she assured them. "Just hit up Daze tomorrow, early evening. We don't have anyone else booked this week until our Independence Weekend shows for the 4th of July."

They finished a great meal with entertaining conversation. Rachel made a mental note of the way Vivian had seemed to smile a lot at Josh and laugh at even his most inane comments throughout dinner. Josh seemed to ignore Vivian for the most part, which Rachel found quite unusual, but figured it had to do with his lingering feelings for Quinn. Still, Vivian was getting plenty of attention—Trey made up for Josh's lack. After dinner, Rachel stopped the Jordans and Vivian outside the restaurant to capture a picture of the moment. She noticed that Vivian stood close to Olivia, forcing Josh to squeeze tightly in between the two women.

Matchmaker Rachel was about to strike again. Sure, Rachel had originally set up Josh with Quinn, but that had been with the goal of getting Finn Hudson to realize he still liked Quinn. Or to at least help Quinn get over Finn if Finn really was over her. Yes, Rachel Berry liked to have multi-faceted goals so that she could almost always achieve her objectives. Now that Quinn and Finn were happily dating back in Lima, as far as Rachel could tell, she reasoned that Josh should open his heart to someone. Maybe then he'd stop singing all of these sad break up songs too!

She couldn't wait to share her intuition about Vivian with Noah, but they all headed back to Jake and Liv's place together so the band could regroup before their next show. Vivian stayed for a nightcap with her sister before taking her leave, saying that she had an early morning. "But I'm looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow," she said pleasantly.

It was very innocent, but Rachel thought she spotted Vivian's glance lingering on Josh more than on anyone else during the goodbyes.

She smiled at her observation. "Boys, I'll join you in a few moments, if you don't mind. I recall that your next set doesn't really include me much anyway, correct?" With the sheepish nods she got in return, she continued, "I'm going to have some girl talk with Liv while you practice."

Liv was taken aback, but she recovered quickly and smiled. "Sure, that sounds great. Should I make us some tea or some coffee?"

The girls headed to the kitchen, while the guys looked on at them, puzzled. "I'm gonna see if baseball's still on," Jake announced. "You guys have free reign of the basement until 11pm—I don't want any noise complaints from the neighbors."

Puck saw his opportunity to confront Josh without Rachel around. As they headed downstairs, he got right to the point, "I know you hate to have the spotlight taken away from you, Josh, but I should get to sing with my own girlfriend on stage while we're in New York. So Rach and I are gonna sing together at the next show." He stated it—this was not a question.

Josh shrugged as they reached the basement. "Whatever. Fine. What song?"

Puck was surprised he didn't have to push harder. He wasn't exactly prepared. "I was thinking it should be something different from what the two of you have been singing together."

Josh stopped being so easy-going. "What the fuck? You want us to learn a new song for tomorrow? No way in hell, Puckerman."

But Puck wasn't going to drop this so easily. "Well, you said we could sing tomorrow, so what are we supposed to sing?"

Josh rolled his eyes because the answer was obvious to him. "You can take one of the songs I usually lead with her. Take _In My Veins_. That one's less break up and more romantic and shit. Here." Josh shoved the lyrics and music at him.

Puck took a look. They'd been playing it, but he hadn't exactly paid close attention to all of the shit Josh sang. Some of the lyrics were pretty good he supposed, like: _you're in my veins and I can't get you out_. And some made him a little upset at the idea of Josh singing them at all, like: _you're all I taste at night inside of my mouth_. Damn. Guess he should've paid more attention and demanded to do this one sooner. "Yeah, ok. We'll do that one."

"You're welcome," Josh said.

"Yeah," Puck scoffed dismissively. But he couldn't wait to tell Rachel about the change up. He just couldn't stand watching her sing like that with Josh any longer without seeing how she'd look at him, her actual boyfriend, when they sang. It felt like it had been forever since they'd sang together really.

Shit, was he missing fucking glee club?

Trey hit his snare and broke Puck from his thoughts. "Dudes, are we playing or what?"

Puck and Josh nodded and grabbed their guitars, and Josh led them through most of their set for their next show. The guys really wailed to make up for the mellow shit they'd had to do earlier that day for the dinner crowd at Frankie V's.

When they'd gone through their set, Rachel still hadn't returned from her 'coffee talk' with Liv. Puck was about to go get her so that he could practice _In My Veins_ with her now that he had the lead.

"Hold up, man," Josh stopped him. "I'm gonna help you out because I realize it'd be pretty bad for me...I mean it would have been...if I had to watch you and Quinn singing," he said with a sympathetic pat to Puck's shoulder. Then he grimaced and removed his hand. "Actually, it would have been worse."

Puck snorted a laugh, "Yeah, Quinn can't sing as well as Rachel."

Josh furrowed his brows. "That's not _at all_ what I meant. I meant...never mind."

Realization flashed over Puck's face, "Oh, because me and Q used to do it! Yeah, that would make it bad for you…if you guys were still dating or whatever…" Puck stopped awkwardly.

"Yeah. Like I said, worse," Josh said flatly. Now he was picturing _those_ images and it was making him sick.

"I mean, we're both hot pieces of ass, me and Quinn, so I don't blame you at all for picturing us doing the deed. You guys either." Puck nodded to Eddie and Trey, who saluted back.

Puck steered the conversation away from the porn visuals portion of the evening, "So you said you'd help me? What's that supposed to mean?"

Josh was glad to get the conversation back to that topic too. "That means I get what you're saying, even though there is no reason to be worried, like I said. But still, instead of being background all the time, you can sing a couple songs on lead for your girl since we're on this special New York trip or whatever. And you can have that duet for the rest of the shows while we're here instead of just once for next time. Just don't expect this special treatment when we're back in Lima."

"Yeah, yeah. But, thanks, I appreciate it, man. I just haven't been able to get over the sinking feeling, you know?"

The guys shook their heads 'no'—they didn't have any idea what he meant.

"Anyway, this should help. We should probably practice _In My Veins_…" Puck was still anxious to tell Rachel the news and actually see her singing and smiling at him instead of Josh for the first time in forever.

"You're lucky I'm giving you that one. It's the one where Rachel's more of a backup singer than a duet partner. I could have given you _Relator_, but she'd just sing all over you."

"The hell she would," Puck said defensively.

"Hey, easy, she sings over me too, man. She's the star of that song—like I'm her backup singer."

"Yeah, you're right. And she definitely sings the pants off me."

"Dude, why'd you go there?" Josh groaned.

"What? …Oh, yeah," Puck smirked. "But she doesn't have to sing for my pants to drop, that's for damn sure too."

"I do _not_ want to think about that."

"Good, then don't." Puck shrugged.

"It's even more difficult now that your girl is around, singing like that, wearing clothes like that," Josh confessed.

"_Excuse me_?"

"I'm just saying if I didn't get it before, I definitely get it now. That shirt the other day...holy hell, dude. Who knew the girl in the pleated skirts and funky sweaters could pull off that kind of appeal?"

"True dat!" chimed in Trey. "Word," nodded Eddie.

"I knew," Puck said. Then his tone sounded threatening. "And don't think about her! At all!" Even as he said it, he realized this was pretty much impossible, so he made a concession. "Or if you do, think about her in one of her sweaters. Forget that shirt! Fuck, I shouldn't have told her to buy it. What the hell was I thinking?"

"That it would look hot," Eddie offered.

"And it did," Trey said.

"But helluva distraction," admitted Josh. "Sorry."

"Yeah, I get it, guys. Good thing she's got other stuff to wear," Puck said. Then he punched Josh in the tricep. "Stop picturing my girl in that shirt."

Josh smirked.

Puck punched him again. He realized they'd returned to the porn visuals portion of the evening. "Ok, seriously, don't ever, _ever_ picture me and Rachel doing it, got it? Don't even think about her like that. She's gonna come back down here to practice, and you can't be all horny over how hot we both are."

The guys rolled their eyes at first, but after Puck shot them a death-glare, they all nodded vigorously. They noticed Puck's change of heart for picturing him doing the deed with Quinn because they were hot p.o.a's versus his protectiveness over them thinking about Rachel. They figured it might be understandable.

"Nothing to worry about," Josh said. He decided not to bring up the fact that he'd actually seen Puck and Rachel doing it before. Everyone in the room already knew that was true. And he decided not to mention the fact that the forbidden images had already entered his brain earlier that day—despite his best efforts to prevent them. He didn't intend to ever visualize such things again, so Josh figured he'd leave it at that.

...

Moments later, Rachel was completely ecstatic to hear that she was going to get to sing with Noah. She almost completely forgot her talk with Liv about Josh and Vivian—a very subtle inquiry of course. Yes, Rachel could be subtle—well, she'd been learning more about subtlety in her acting workshops the previous weeks. Rachel also decided that she'd share her discoveries with her boyfriend later. She was too thrilled to divide her attention and she assumed (correctly) that he wouldn't be as excited about Josh and Vivian's potential as she was.

Puck knew she'd be as happy as he was about the duet, but he wasn't expecting the extent of Rachel's reaction. Like she was so excited and happy, she actually started crying right in front of Puck while they were singing. He was a little disconcerted at first, but then he realized that was like the most over-the-top reaction he'd ever seen from her. It was _so_ Rachel Berry, and it showed that she was _so_ into _him_—way more than she had ever been with anyone else—so it was kinda perfect.

Everyone was feeling pretty good about their new plan to feature Puck and Rachel a little bit more, as Trey and Eddie had no problem with their roles as drummer and bassist, respectively, as long as they got to play some kick-ass songs.

The couple left the guys to take the subway back to Rachel's hotel in the city. Josh settled in for his now regular correspondence with Quinn Fabray. He had gone from dating her, to her hating him (with good reason), and now they were kinda like friends who kept in touch a lot. It was mostly chill stuff like Quinn asking how shows went and Josh describing their set list and anything out of the ordinary. He'd ask her how cheerleading camp was going. They talked about lots of little things, but they never talked about one big, hulking thing.

Finn Hudson.

Josh knew they were still dating. He didn't know if Finn knew that he and Quinn were talking. But he didn't really care. It didn't really matter as far as he was concerned. If Quinn told Finn, that was between them. And if she didn't…well, maybe that meant something about Quinn's intentions.

He still couldn't bring himself to ask her. At least not yet.

…

Puck and Rachel couldn't wait to get back to the hotel after their duet practice.

Sex that night—was hella hot.

There was more crying from Rachel, but mostly because he really got in there and gave it to her good.

He was the man.

'Nuf said.

...

The next morning Puck woke up feeling beyond awesome—no nagging feeling of anger over The Rachel and Josh show at all. Today…today was going to be The Rachel and Puck show. With The Josh Show relegated to their opening act. It was gonna be awesome.

Ok, so that's not exactly how things would go, but Puck was still pumped that he would sing with Rachel. Josh was still gonna sing a couple songs with her at the rest of their shows too, but still. It was progress. He felt miles better than he had only 24 hours earlier. He jumped in the shower and maybe, just maybe, he sang a little while he was in there.

...

Hearing the sounds of Noah singing in the shower, Rachel opened her eyes with a smile. She'd been doing that everyday—waking up with a smile and going to sleep with a smile. Being able to fall asleep in Noah's arms every night was something she was going to miss when he left New York—and when she got back to Lima. It's not like he'd be able to sneak over every night just to snuggle.

But now was not the time to dwell on such things. Rachel resolved to focus on the positive. She had postponed telling Noah about her thoughts regarding Josh and Vivian because she could imagine his side of the conversation anyway—full of feigned interest. They were both more interested in their duets now, which was more than fine by her. So Rachel decided to call the other person who _would _be interested in her conversation—Josh.

From the raspy mumble "Hello?" Rachel could tell Josh had been asleep.

"It's Rachel," she told him, just to be certain he didn't mistake her for someone else. "Shouldn't you be waking up soon? We'll be on our way over shortly."

"It takes me 2 minutes," he grumbled. "See you then."

"Wait!" she shouted into the phone.

"What?"

"I need to talk to you about Vivian."

"What about her?" he asked drowsily.

"After I talked to Liv about her and her potential interest in you…"

"You did what?" That woke him up.

Rachel smiled at her mini-victory. "Don't worry, I was very subtle."

"I haven't known you that long, Rachel, but I know that subtlety is not one of your strong suits."

"I'm offended that you have so little confidence in my abilities. While I may not be a subtle person in general, I am an excellent actress. And last night, I played the role of subtle Rachel Berry to perfection."

Josh didn't suppress his eye roll—she couldn't see him to yell at him anyway. "Assuming for the sake of argument that I believe that you were actually subtle, why should I care?"

"Are you saying you're not interested in her at all? Because Liv told a different story…" Rachel heard Josh sigh deeply.

"Yeah, she probably told you what she knew from her wedding. That's when I met Vivian, and yeah, I kinda flirted with her or whatever."

"That's approximately what I heard," Rachel said, deciding not to mention the description of Josh following Vivian around like a puppy while persistently suggesting that the maid of honor and best man had a duty to hook up.

"Anyway, I was only 19 and she was 23 and she didn't give me the time of day. Besides, she told me she had a boyfriend who wasn't there at the wedding because he was touring in some band. I even gave her my number in case she was lying and told her that if she called me, I'd find a way to visit New York more often to see her…and yeah, I haven't heard from her and haven't been back to New York until now. So I'm pretty sure your little convo with Liv about me and Vivian was pointless."

"Not pointless at all," Rachel told him in a conspiratorial voice. "Vivian was subtly flirting with you last night. Not enough to be noticeable if you weren't interested—because boys are obviously clueless in general, but at a level that should have been enough to catch your attention if you were interested."

"And you know this, how?"

"Well, while I haven't had much experience, I have watched more romantic movies and Broadway shows than anyone I know—besides my fathers."

"I guess I'll take your word for it. Doesn't really change things for me. I haven't thought about Vivian for a while, and just because you think she was flirting with me doesn't mean she doesn't still have a boyfriend."

"But she doesn't! Liv told me!"

"Rachel," he sighed. "I appreciate your help," he lied, "but she's still in New York and I live in Ohio—and that's where I'll be in like, four days."

"I know, but New York is where you'll be after you finish your senior year of college, right? That's still your plan?"

"Yes…"

"And Quinn is my friend of course, one I keep neglecting to call, but we're still basically friends. And I did set you two up in the first place, but that doesn't mean I think you should keep pining over her."

"I'm not pining."

"You're pining," Rachel declared. "And that's natural. But I think it's time you try to open yourself up to new experiences. And while Quinn and I have always had our rivalries, I know her reasonably well. I would not be at all surprised if she only feels comfortable where she can be a big fish in a small pond. That means she'll probably follow Finn to Ohio State, which is a large school of course, but Quinn will still be among the most beautiful people. If she moves to New York filled with models and actresses, she'll still be beautiful, but she'll feel differently about it, trust me."

Rachel decided to cut her lecture short because she heard the water stop running in the shower—so Noah would be ready to leave any minute and she still had to get ready. "Just think about what I said. I'll talk to you later, and see you soon, Josh."

Puck heard Rachel ending the call with Josh, but didn't think too much of the fact that she called to let him know they'd be on their way soon.

After Rachel got ready and they headed to the subway, she told him in excruciating detail everything he could have ever wanted to know about Josh, Vivian, and Rachel's crazy ideas.

"You realize you're crazy, right?" is all he said.

She gave him a light slap on the arm and just scooted closer to him on the train. "Don't call me crazy. Everyone deserves to have what we have, Noah. Maybe Finn and Quinn will get it for themselves, and maybe Josh will find it with Vivian. Wouldn't that be romantic?"

"Yeah, totally," he agreed flatly. He didn't really give a rat's ass about anyone else. He was just glad he and Rachel were all good.

Rachel ignored his intonation—her indication that he wasn't really interested in what she was saying. If it had been something very important that affected the two of them, she might have been angry. But since it wasn't—it was just something interesting to her—she allowed herself to enjoy cuddling on the subway with her boyfriend in New York on the way to Brooklyn.

…

It was a lovely summer evening, and Daze had a patio stage all ready for their show that day. Rachel was very _pleased_ to see Vivian take a seat at a table far from the stage, but still in view. She was _ecstatic_—but did not shed any tears—when she sang _In My Veins_ with Noah. That was her only song in this set list because the guys had wanted a break from some of the mellow tunes. She was _not pleased_ when she heard the songs the band started playing after she finished her duet with Noah. Well, _Hey Jealousy_ was fine with her, since it reminded her both of Josh's feelings surrounding Quinn and Finn and a bit of what was going on with Noah lately. The crowd seemed to like it, as did Vivian. They played a second song by The Gin Blossoms, _Found Out About You_, and that struck a chord with Rachel because a lot of it seemed geared to Josh's situation when he found out that Quinn, Rachel, and Noah had lied about their ages. First the lyrics "I was yours and you were mine, forget it all. Is there a line that I could write, sad enough to make you cry? 'Cause all the lines you wrote to me were lies," made Rachel feel a little sorry for Josh. A little. "Rumors follow everywhere you go" and the lines associated with that made Rachel feel sorrier for Quinn. But that song was well-received by the crowd too, and didn't upset Rachel much.

No, it was the song they had decided to end on that really upset Rachel. She had seen it on their set list, but hadn't heard them play it before now. _Yeah Whatever_ started out nice enough, but the lyrics were terrible! Especially with Rachel's knowledge that Josh had picked them with Quinn in mind. "We don't have to stay friends, let's pretend to be enemies. Yeah, whatever makes you happy," was fitting enough, but it was the meaner lyrics about fleas and flies and gross stuff that turned Rachel's stomach. And there was cursing! The f-word! To make matters worse, Rachel could see from her spot that Vivian looked incredibly uncomfortable. That's when it dawned on Rachel that Vivian has a café too. She probably wanted to check out the band to see if they'd be appropriate for her place! Vivian must be a woman after her own heart. She had multi-faceted goals—checking out Josh, obviously, but also a band for her café. Rachel had to fix this.

As the band came off stage, she rushed to make a plea. "Noah, you absolutely _cannot_ end with that song. It leaves a _terrible_ impression. You need a good note, not a sour one to end with."

Puck shrugged. "That was the encore. We're done."

"I know for a fact there's a song you can play even without the accompaniment of the band. And you haven't played it since the first time I heard it."

Puck knew what song she meant—the song he sang for her when she snuck into the bar and saw him playing with the band for the first time after they had their big fight last winter. "I wasn't sure if that would bring up bad memories for you…"

"Oh no, I love it! I associated it with the best memories! Go, play it now!"

"I don't think it really meshes with what we just played, Rach."

"You're right. Play something else as a lead in—go now!" She shoved him toward the stage with surprising force. Puck was caught off guard and stumbled onto the stage.

"Hey, everyone, I'm gonna play two more songs for you—to end on a good note…"

The guys in the band looked confused, then Josh zeroed in on Rachel. "What's this about?"

"I'll explain later. I have good reasons, I promise. Get up there and join him!"

They all looked at her dubiously, but obeyed her command.

Puck took the lead on the dog's eye view song _The Prince's Favorite Son_, which Rachel had never heard him play. But when she heard the lyrics "and a picture of his father whose memory was a whisper that sang to him daily…as he ran away" she wondered if he played that song alone often when thinking of his father. Then she worried that they didn't talk about his family enough. Then she worried that he might be thinking of himself as a father and baby Dizzy growing up not knowing him. In true Rachel fashion, her thoughts started spiraling out of control. Fortunately, the song itself was rather upbeat and Noah seemed to be enjoying himself very much. His smile is what brought Rachel out of her worries. She'd have time for worries later. Now she was ready to enjoy Noah performing lead on this song, followed by his song for her, _Would You Be Willing_.

With Josh joining in on guitar and backing vocals, Rachel noticed that Vivian sat back down instead of leaving. She thought that was probably a good sign that Vivian was back on their side and would still offer to let them play at The Perch.

She was right.

After the show, Vivian approached the band. "Nice job. I have to say, I was a little put off by the tone of some of your songs—especially the one with the multiple f-bombs."

Josh was about to get defensive and correct her (there were only _two_ f-words—hardly _multiple_) when Rachel put her hand on his arm, silently telling him to let Vivian finish.

"But if you guys can tone it down for an all-ages show—more along the lines of the duet and the stripped down acoustic style songs—I'd love to invite you play at my café. It's called Park Perch Café. We have an opening tomorrow afternoon if you're free..."

Rachel released Josh's arm with a reassuring pat, allowing him to respond. Josh suppressed the glare he was about to give her for mothering him. On one hand he found it irritating, but on the other hand, it was kind of nice to have the friendly concern and guidance at a level he definitely didn't have with his guy friends.

"Thanks, Vivian," Josh said with a smile. "I know we all appreciate the exposure to new audiences."

"Totally!" said Trey, stepping closer to Vivian in an obviously ill-fated attempt to flirt.

"Definitely!" agreed Eddie, elbowing Trey.

Rachel pushed her way between Josh and Noah to face Vivian. Josh's answer was perfectly polite—exactly what she would want him to say, but she had a bit more work to do in her self-appointed role as matchmaker. "Thank you so much, Vivian. Perhaps you and Josh would like to discuss the song selection you would prefer for your venue while the boys and I finish loading up the equipment?"

Vivian smiled, "Thank you. That sounds great." She turned to face Josh. "You look thirsty, how about we get in line for some water while you tell me some of the other songs you guys play." Vivian took Josh's arm and guided him away.

He looked back at Rachel over his shoulder with raised eyebrows and a question in his eyes.

She beamed and waved him on. He shook his head with a smirk and turned back to Vivian. Rachel was so proud of herself for practically landing them a new gig—by keenly observing Vivian and deducing the reasons for her presence, and then making sure they played some better songs to end the show! (Who plays a song like that to end a show? Honestly.) And she was proud of herself for getting Josh and Vivian together, at least taking a first baby step. There was only one flaw in her plan.

Now she had to really help load the instruments in the van when she usually just held doors open while the guys did all the work.

…

They all headed back to their home-base at the Jordan compound to prepare for their show at The Perch.

Josh informed them that Vivian's place had a real piano, and both Puck and Rachel perked up to hear that. "Oh, Trey!" Rachel exclaimed. "Can you imagine how great _Percussion Gun_ will sound on a piano?"

"Dude! You'll totally rock that shit!" Trey replied with equal enthusiasm.

But Puck was thinking about another purpose for the piano. The idea wasn't quite formed in his mind when Josh came over to talk to him while Rachel was playing _Percussion Gun_ with Trey. "So, I'm thinking you can take the opportunity to serenade your girl on the piano since you're multi-talented and all," Josh told him. "The Perch seems like the right venue for it since Viv asked for laid-back acoustic stuff. Plus, we saw how Rachel reacted to you on lead today, so consider it a favor to you both," he finished with a smirk.

"Yeah, thanks, man. I'll just have to figure out a way to practice a song without Rachel hearing it—so I can surprise her."

"Whatever. Surprise or no surprise, it doesn't matter to me. Let's just figure out what we're doing."

They decided that since Puck might be a little rusty on the song he'd play for Rachel on the piano, he'd just play it while they set up and did sound check. That way, he'd both surprise Rachel and he wouldn't get too much shit from the crowd if he sucked a little. (He knew he wouldn't totally suck, but he might screw up a few notes or something. No big.)

On their return trip to the hotel, Puck and Rachel were both riding high on their successes by the end of evening. Puck was feeling good about his duet with Rachel and his lead efforts. Rachel was feeling good about those performances too, as well as her excellent work on the Josh and Vivian front.

Puck was slightly nervous about his piano solo tomorrow, but he turned that nervous energy into hot, hot lovin' for his girl.

He totally exhausted her, and she fell asleep right away without her usual after-sex conversation. She turned away from him in her sleep, and he admired the curves of her body before nestling his head at her neck and wrapping his arm around her. He felt a rush of warmth—but not the rush of blood to make him 'strong like bull'—more like a rush that filled his heart with…something. Love probably.

He was gonna kill it tomorrow, he now knew for sure.

He was right.

…

Once they got to The Perch, Rachel walked straight to the piano and played a few notes to make sure it was in tune. "I think this should be sufficient," she announced.

"Oh yeah? Let me have a try," Puck said with a grin. He slid onto the piano bench next to her. "How about I play you a song?" he asked casually. When he started playing the opening notes to _Just the Way You Are_, he knew this was gonna go so well. Rachel opened her mouth in happy amazement, and then slid off of the bench to grab her purse. Of course she thought it was a _memory moment_.

She snapped several pictures of him, a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes the whole time. "When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change. Because you're amazing, just the way you are. When you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while. 'Cause, girl, you're amazing, just the way you are."

This memory of his voice singing those words—and his eyes when he sang them—was essential to capture for all eternity.

…

**A.N. **Thanks for general music recommendations (not for the story specifically) to **cassdsassyangel** for recommending Gavin Mikhail (who did the cover of Bruno Mars' _Just the Way You Are_) and overdue thanks to whoever is RPing **Noah_Puckerman** for recommending Andrew Bell (_Static Waves_ and _In My Veins_)! Sorry for the delay in this update, but I hope you like the chapter! We have a little more of the gang in New York before Puck goes back to Ohio to hang out with the gleeks while Rachel stays for Broadway camp. Puck will be with familiar faces like Finn and Quinn, while Rachel will run into one too…so stay tuned for the appearance of Jesse St. James. I welcome suggestions in your reviews!


	4. Summer Break

**A.N.** A few delayed shout outs: to **fresch** who always senses where things are going and was on track with the jealousy bits—and more are to come; to **Lizzay_Martini** who laughed with me about the awkward sex conversations from the previous chapters. And new shout to **BittyAB18** who ever since _Junior Year_ told me what she was hoping for with the Finn/Quinn/Josh situation—more happening on that front here. More on the Josh/Rachel friendship and Quinn situation for **Maiqu**. Also to **kezztip**—it's Jesse's first appearance with more to come! And thanks to **kaelaelameee** & **Nova802 **for continued encouragement with your reviews :)

See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=L3RgGtxZbgY

and playlist: /view_play_list?p=922DEF7137D7B245

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.

…

Rachel was weak in the knees after the most beautiful experience ever—Noah Puckerman serenading her on piano with _Just the Way You Are_. And of course, she also had tears in her eyes.

"That was the most beautiful, wonderful, sensitive, amazing,-" Rachel was cut off by the lips of her boyfriend crashing into hers for a passionate kiss. The patrons at The Perch were applauding, both for the song and the sight of two young beautiful people kissing.

Rachel blushed as she heard the sound, but she didn't break the kiss. When they finally finished, Puck looked at his girl and said, "You really liked it?"

Before Rachel could answer more than "Oh, yes!" Josh cleared his throat.

"That was quite a warm up. Ready to get the show going?"

Puck rolled his eyes but slid off the piano bench and relinquished it to Rachel as he took his place with his guitar. "Yeah, yeah. Let's do this."

Vivian officially introduced the band, which already had a few fans just based on Puck's emotional piano solo. With the piano instead of a keyboard, they performed particularly a good version of Gavin Rossdale's _Love Remains the Same_, followed by _Your Side Now_, a duet Josh and Rachel had been singing in honor of Josh's feelings for Quinn (as with all the other duets and most of their new songs). As she sang, Rachel thought back to a few days ago when she'd first learned these songs that she was asked to play with Josh. She'd told him that if he would have sang _Your Side Now_ to Quinn that infamous night—when instead he chose to sing _Shattered_ and then proceed to insult her to get her to break up with him—if he'd only made a different choice, maybe Quinn would have listened. At the time, Quinn hadn't wanted to choose between Finn and Josh. She just wanted to date casually. But neither guy was really satisfied with that. If Josh would have made his case instead of forfeiting the competition (in the worst way ever), maybe Quinn would have done what this song said, "…please believe in something. Start believing in us."

As Josh was singing _Your Side Now_, he looked at Rachel and remembered what she'd said to him. Maybe she was right. He shouldn't have made Quinn think he only wanted to date her for sex he never got—even if his motives hadn't started out so innocent. As he sang, "Cause it's a long drive home; it's a long drive alone," he thought about how he and the guys really were in for a long drive home. Maybe he would call Quinn and find out if she really was still happy with Finn. If she truly was, then he would leave her alone for sure. That's the decision he'd made before—that she would always have feeling for Finn and that she would be better off if he didn't mess up that perfect high school picture for her. But he still wasn't over her. Now he was a little worried that if he told her he still had feelings for her, it would ruin this friendship they'd started, which was kind of cool too (even though he'd initially thought it would be impossible to be friends with her). So the song _One Thing_ that they were about to play totally embodied his feelings about taking that step—of crossing the friendship line. Of course, now Rachel was practically shoving Vivian down his throat, but Josh didn't see that going anywhere.

…

Rachel left the piano and moved to a seat in the café to watch the rest of the performance after the songs she participated in were over. She thought the cover of Finger Eleven's _One Thing_ was well received, but her eyes widened when she saw Josh give an evil grin to the guys and then start playing that terrible _Yeah Whatever_ song while looking right at Vivian. And Vivian first turned pale, surely thinking of the f-word that was part of the song. Then she flushed red with anger as she started storming toward the stage. Rachel watched in horror as all the guys smiled widely at the sight. But before Vivian reached them, the dreaded line was spoken—with a subtle replacement of "dead if you don't" for the original "f***ed if you don't".

Vivian sighed and shook her head at the band before taking the seat next to Rachel. "The look on your face tells me you didn't know they were doing that song either," Vivian whispered.

"I promise I had no idea," Rachel whispered urgently. "I will be giving them a piece of my mind!"

The guys enjoyed the looks on the girls' faces as they finished up their set. They weren't at all surprised when Rachel immediately met them after the show while Vivian took to the microphone to announce the next band.

"What exactly was that supposed to be?" Rachel asked.

"I just wanted to fuck with Viv's head. Pretty funny to see her eyes bug out like that when we started playing," Josh laughed.

Rachel grinned. "Ah, so you thought it was fun to tease Vivian? I see…"

Josh rolled his eyes at her, and Puck accused Rachel of being a yenta.

She protested indignantly. "I am no such thing. I just like to see my friends happy."

"Oh, so Josh is your friend now?" Puck sounded skeptical. But that hid the truth—he figured they were, but he was unsure he liked this idea. "Really?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I consider Josh my friend? We're friends, right, Josh?"

"Yeah, we're friends," he agreed easily.

"Fine, you guys are friends," Puck said sourly. "But you're friends with Quinn too, aren't you?"

"Yes, we have also developed a friendship, as you know. And you also know that she's dating our _other_ friend _Finn_. So why wouldn't I want to encourage our friend _Josh_ to pursue interests in other girls?"

"Alright, you win. You're perfectly within your _friendly rights_ to be all pushy about Josh and Vivian," Puck said dryly.

"Josh and Vivian what?" Vivian asked as she approached the band. She received several blank looks in return. Then everyone looked at Puck to explain his comment. Even Rachel turned to him with a satisfied smile. So he turned it around on her.

He looked at Vivian with as innocent an expression as he could manage. "I was actually talking about Rachel, so I think she should fill you in. Rachel?" Then he turned to face Rachel with an evil smile on his face.

"Oh, you're so proud of yourself, aren't you?" she scowled.

"Totally," he grinned.

She rolled her eyes at him, but he caught her smile.

Rachel opened her mouth to explain her intent to Vivian when Josh stepped in front of her. "Rachel suggested that the band needs a break. Our trip to New York is almost over and we haven't done anything around the city besides play shows. And go shopping. She was trying to convince the other guys to go along with her to talk to me and you and also Liv about flaking on our other shows."

Rachel gaped at Josh's explanation…for three reasons. First, she was displeased with his interruption. Second, she was impressed with his quick-thinking. Third, she realized he was right. They hadn't done any sight-seeing at all; they had just hauled themselves from show to show and practiced. Aside from the salon and a few shopping trips which were 'music-business-related' too, they hadn't done anything just for fun. And Noah would be leaving soon. She didn't want this trip to end.

Vivian bought Josh's story easily. And she made a great suggestion. "You do deserve a break. Of course I don't mind at all if you don't play a show here tomorrow before you leave. You know what you should do? Drop off your stuff at Liv's and head out to Coney Island! They have free concerts in the summer on Thursday nights!"

"And today's Thursday!" Trey said. "Awesome! We're so there."

"Would you care to join us, Vivian?" Rachel asked sweetly. "You're more than welcome."

Puck rolled his eyes at Rachel's brand of subtlety, but she got the job done. Vivian agreed, just like Rachel wanted.

"If you all brought swimming suits, we could hit the beach now before the sun goes down. Then we can check out the boardwalk before the concert," Vivian suggested.

"Awesome!" Trey repeated.

"You know," Vivian addressed the band, "you guys shouldn't have been afraid to tell me yourselves that you didn't want to play here tomorrow. But Rachel, I applaud your take-charge attitude. Have you ever thought about business school as a future education path?"

Rachel was surprised by this suggestion and a little offended. "I know I wasn't featured heavily in today's show, but did you hear me sing? No, I'm not planning on going to business school. My career path is fully within the arts realm. My dream is Broadway."

"Of course. You have an amazing voice. But you might be interested in looking into some business classes as well. Your leadership abilities would take you far in the business world, and there's a lot involved in the music business that might be beneficial to your music career. I'm surprised nobody's ever mentioned that idea to you."

"No, they haven't. At my school my independence and leadership traits are considered…abrasive," she glared a bit at Puck.

"Ah, I see. Yes, some people are still in the dark ages. The same qualities that are praised in men are often found to be unattractive in women. We get called bitches when a man would be called assertive."

"Hold up," Puck said. "I hate to break up the feminist rally here, but you don't know what Rachel's like at school. If she were a guy, she'd still get called…what did you say?"

"Abrasive," Rachel snapped.

"Yeah, abrasive. Baby, I love you, but you're _abrasive _as hell sometimes."

"Thank you for your honesty, _dear_," she bit out.

"Hey, I love that you're abrasive. It's hilarious—as long as I'm not on the wrong end of it," Puck laughed and brought Rachel into a hug. "Calm down, crazy."

"Don't call me crazy," she sighed. "You're abrasive too, you know," she pouted as she settled into his arms.

"Damn right I am. And proud of it. You should be too. You're a badass, Rachel Berry."

She giggled. "Fine. I'll own it," she said with mock smugness. "You and I can be prickly together."

Puck released her from his hug and held her at arm's length. "No. Not _prickly_. That doesn't sound awesome at all. If we're gonna own it, repeat after me: We can be _badass_ together."

She rolled her eyes, but repeated, "We can be _badass_ together."

"Alright," he grinned and pulled her close again.

"Can we get going? We're burning daylight here," Josh said. "Beach, boardwalk, concert, remember?"

Rachel nodded sheepishly, and Puck told her that wasn't badass at all. "See, give a single nod, like this," Puck told her as he gave Josh a head nod. "Then say something cool like, _whatever_."

She thanked him for the lesson with a hint of sarcasm, and Puck continued to teach her more _badassness_ as they separated from the group so they could head back to hotel to change into clothes for the beach. They both enjoyed the playful banter.

Back at the hotel, Rachel packed a bag so they'd have clothes with them after they finished up at the beach and headed toward the free concert. Puck didn't pack anything related to swimming, since when he thought of New York and playing shows, he hadn't thought about hitting the Atlantic Ocean at all. Rachel said she was sure there would be shops around the Coney Island beach front where they could pick up some essentials.

Rachel was right.

They met up with the guys and Vivian, and Viv led them right to a shop where Puck bought swimming trunks and a beach towel. Next they stopped to get some snacks to have with them on the beach. Puck was too excited to get in line for a few hotdogs, while Rachel hung back to determine if she could find anything vegan—or at least vegetarian—on the menu. When she looked up at Puck ahead of her in line, she felt compelled to take a picture of her hot boyfriend in his sunglasses, tank top, and board shorts. She called to him to look at her for a picture.

Puck rolled his eyes, and then jokingly puckered his lips into a kiss. Rachel captured the moment, and giggled with joy when she saw the result.

"It's perfect!" she called to him.

He shook his head and was just glad he wasn't the subject of more pictures in public for the moment. Rachel managed to get a veggie sandwich, and they all headed to find a spot on the beach.

Puck was a little, just a little bit concerned about the guys seeing Rachel in her bikini since they'd already basically admitted to picturing her naked. But he figured that it was a beach, so there'd be tons of chicks there for the guys to check out. And they'd probably be really interested in seeing Vivian in her swimsuit since they'd all been drooling over her anyway.

Puck was right.

The guys avoided looking at Rachel once they finished eating and she took off her sundress. And when they did look at her, they made an obvious effort to only look directly into her eyes. He wasn't sure if Rachel noticed anything unusual, but Puck noticed. It was also the strategy he used with Vivian. He didn't want to get into any trouble for looking at the skinny blonde's fine-ass-body.

Shit, he looked.

Puck stole a glance at Rachel who was lying next to him. She didn't seem to notice. "Wanna get in the water?" he asked her.

She turned over onto her stomach. "Ten minutes of sun on my back, and then, yes, I'll join you for a swim."

"Cool," Puck closed his eyes and enjoyed the sand and the sun with his girl by his side. He could get used to this. He opened his eyes minutes later when he felt a light back-handed slap to his arm.

"Dude," Trey said. "Vivian said we can rent body boards and shit to take out in the water. You up for it?"

"Yeah, man. Hey, Rach, I'm gonna go with the guys. You wanna come with?"

Rachel told him to go ahead and she'd join him after she finished basking in the sun. After her ten minutes were up, Rachel turned over and looked around for everyone. Vivian was still tanning on the beach a few steps away. All the guys were in the water, and Rachel thought it would be the perfect time to get another picture of Noah. She caught him in an inner tube with Trey heading toward him. Then put the camera away and asked Vivian to watch her bag while she joined the boys in the ocean.

When Puck caught a glimpse of Rachel running into the water toward him, his heart leaped into his throat.

Fuck, she was so hot. He was one lucky sonuvabitch.

…

As the sun was setting, the gang decided it was time to move from the beach to the other Coney Island attractions. They walked along the boardwalk, Puck holding Rachel's hand. But she slipped out of his grasp, saying she was going to talk to Vivian for a few moments. Puck nodded and started talking to Josh as they continued on to Seaside Park for the concert. Then Puck stopped dead in his tracks. They were about to pass one of those Make-Your-Own-Music-Video shops—the kind where someone sings karaoke style and makes a video that's broadcast outside for all to see. Once he actually realized he'd stopped walking, he picked up his pace.

"Shit, don't let Rachel see that," Puck said to the guys.

"What? Why?" Trey asked.

"More like, how?" Eddie said. "_How_ can we stop her from seeing it?"

"Too late," Rachel said crisply as she pushed past the boys and entered the store.

"Oh no, here we go," Puck groaned.

"Dude, what's your deal?" Josh asked. "Rachel always sounds amazing, and you know it. Hell, you remind us of that almost as much as she does."

Puck chuckled and held up his hands. "Yeah, don't get me wrong; I'm not saying I don't like hearing her sing. My girl can sing. I'm just worried about what Broadway song we're all gonna have to hear and see on the big screen." He pointed to the screen where the music videos were broadcast. "She can make any song sound awesome, but show tunes get old. We're not eighty."

The guys all nodded in understanding. Yeah, Broadway standards were not on their list of favorites. But they were all surprised to hear the hip hop beat of Alicia Keys' _No One_ over the speakers.

"Damn," Puck said as Rachel's voice filled the air. "That's my girl!" he boasted. She sounded awesome—better than the original he thought—and the small crowd of people who stopped to watch her performance probably thought so too. Puck thought she looked super-hot as she danced around looking at him through the television screen. The best part was…she was singing about him, about them.

"I just want you close, where you can stay forever. You can be sure, that it will only get better. You and me together, through the days and nights. I don't worry 'cause everything's gonna be alright. People keep talkin', they can say what they like. But all I know is everything's gonna be alright. No one, no one, can get in the way of what I'm feelin'…"

Applause of her friends and strangers greeted her when Rachel emerged victorious from the singing booth, and after thanking her fans, she looked at Puck expectantly with her hands on her hips. "So, what do you have to say about that?"

"I get a copy of that, right?"

That got her to smile—the kind that starts out small and then spreads so big that she looks like she's about to burst with happiness. She bumped him with her hip and then slid under his arm.

"Yes, of course you get a copy. It's for you."

"Thanks. You rocked it, baby."

"Thank you, Noah. It was all for you."

He held her tighter as they walked on toward the free concert. Puck kissed the top of Rachel's head and she looked up at him for a kiss on the lips.

"You're right, Josh, they are too cute for words," Vivian's voice carried up to the couple, who turned to see the rest of their little group smirking at their public displays of affection.

"That's not exactly what I said," Josh assured Puck and Rachel.

"Oh really?" asked Rachel with skepticism in her voice and a smile on her face.

"Yeah, that's really not what he said," Eddie affirmed.

"I would never use the word _cute_," Josh said. "I said that I was speechless, and I was gonna hurl."

"That sounds about right," Puck nodded. "But screw you," he said, bending down to give them all a show—full on tongue.

Rachel squeaked and pushed him away, but he held her tight and she finally got into it and kissed him back. Everyone else groaned at the sight—even Vivian. "Come on, you two," she said. "Quit making the rest of us loners jealous."

Puck ended his little performance, and Rachel blushed when she faced the others. She flushed even redder when Puck gave her ass a smack. "Noah!" The sundress over her bathing suit did little to shield her skin from his hand. "Not only is that inappropriate, but it hurt!"

"Can't help it, babe," he shrugged. "You're hot. But sorry, I didn't mean to make it hurt." He lightly massaged the cheek he had previously abused.

"Apology accepted, I suppose," she huffed. "But please try to be more respectful in public."

"Yeah, what she said," called Trey. "I think we're all about to puke back here. And I _know _my eyes are burning!"

Everyone laughed, and Puck flipped them all the finger behind Rachel's back before holding her hand in a harmless display.

They all had a great night at the free concert, taking in the sights and sounds of New York's Coney Island. The guys played a few of the games and Rachel snapped a few pictures for her memory calendar and scrap book. They also decided that they had packed so much tourism into this one day, that they really did want to play one last show. So they kept their last booking for an evening show at LIV.

As Puck and Rachel parted ways with Vivian and the guys in the band to go back to their hotel in the city, Rachel's phone rang. She managed to dig it out of her giant bag before it went to voicemail.

"Hello? Daddy!"

"Hi, sweetie," Marshall Berry said. "We hadn't heard from you for awhile, and we wanted to find out how your little vacation between camps is going."

"Oh, I'm sorry I haven't called," she looked at Noah and put her finger to her lips to indicate that he should stay quiet. "I have actually been quite busy preparing for camp, but I've been enjoying this break very much."

"Good to hear," her dad said. "Your father and I were thinking it might be fun if we take a little vacation of our own. We could come see you and spend the 4th of July in New York together! How does that sound?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Oh, Daddy, that's such a nice idea, but…" Rachel thought it was a sweet thought, but she wanted to spend time with Noah alone instead, so she lied. "A few of the other campers arrived early to settle in before the camp starts, so we're going to hang out and get to know each other… It might be easier for me to make friends if I'm here without my parents…"

"Of course, that sounds like a wonderful opportunity, honey. Then we won't join you this time. We'll just wait and see you at the end of your camp. You'll have a final performance for the parents, right?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful if you would attend the Family Finale instead! Maybe I could ask Noah if he can come with you? Would that be ok with you?" She asked her father, but she looked at Noah while she said it, to see if he was interested. He nodded with a half-smile.

"Well, sure, honey. I suppose we can invite Noah along. Of course we'll have to talk to Deb Puckerman."

"Of course. Feel free to invite her and Sarah too if you like."

Now Puck was not so happy about the idea of his mom and sister coming out to New York too—he shook his head no vigorously. Rachel just rolled her eyes at him.

"We'll do that, sweetie. We could call now as soon as we hang up with you."

"Oh, no!" Obviously that would be bad. "Why don't you wait until after the 4th of July holiday to call? Actually, I'll ask Noah about it first, and after I've talked to him to make sure it fits with his practice schedule for football, I'll let you know."

"Ok, we'll wait until you give us the green light. We are perfectly happy to invite your boyfriend, but it might be nice if it's just us, the family, don't you think?"

"You've had 17 years of _just us_, Daddy. You'll have to get used to the idea that I'm growing up."

"Your father and I aren't ready for you to be too grown up yet," Marshall Berry protested. "But we'll work on it—maybe by the time you're 18 we'll be ready for the fact that you'll be leaving us to go to college and on your way to your destined stardom."

"Sure, Daddy," Rachel smiled into the phone. "To practice, you can share this trip at the end of Broadway camp with Noah; so I can share that moment with my three favorite men."

The thought worried Marshall Berry, but he agreed. He told Aaron the bad news before passing him the phone so he could talk to Rachel too.

…

In Brooklyn, Josh had a phone call to make around the same time. He was ready to ask Quinn if she just wanted to remain friends or if she was open to possibility of trying a real relationship. At least, he thought he was ready.

He totally chickened out.

Instead, he just mentioned Vivian in passing, to see if he could detect a reaction—any hint of jealousy.

He couldn't.

She seemed happy for him. So it seemed like he was staying on the friendship side of the line.

Fuck.

"Well, I guess it's late and you have cheer camp early tomorrow…"

"Yes, that's true," Quinn said.

"So, I'll just call you tomorrow before our last show. You know, just to say 'hey' or whatever before we start the drive back to Lima."

"Sounds great. I hope you have a lovely show and a safe drive home."

Josh chuckled. "Thanks. But it won't be 'lovely'. More like 'killer'," he boasted.

"Fine. Have a _killer_ show," Quinn rolled her eyes with a smile. "Call me during the drive home if you get bored and want to talk."

They said their goodbyes and Josh still didn't know exactly what Quinn thought about him.

Quinn didn't know either.

…

**July**

Friday was the first day of July and near the end of the New York trip for the band. They had to get back to Lima for the 4th of July holiday so they were leaving on Saturday. That meant time for one last show and any last sight-seeing plans for the group. But fortunately, Puck was staying with Rachel, so they had two full days to look forward to without the band—without anyone else in the world to stand in their way. They were both so excited for those days alone, so much so that their last show with the band in New York breezed by in a flash.

The group all decided to dress up a bit for their show at LIV and then enjoy the club scene, with the minors respecting the alcohol laws of course. They played lots of crowd favorites with a few of the band's original songs mixed in the set list. Sure, they never got _discovered_ during their week of gigs in New York, but they got a taste of their futures—which seemed pretty damned good.

The guys were leaving early Saturday morning from Liv and Jake Jordan's house, so Rachel and Puck said goodbye to them at the end of Friday night. Rachel even got a little teary-eyed. Puck rolled his eyes at her and said, "They're just going back to Lima. That's where you'll be in two weeks."

"I know," she sniffed. "But this week has just been so wonderful, and I feel like we've all become good friends, and I'm just sad that it's ending."

"It's just temporary, Rach," Josh smiled.

Puck flinched at Josh using a nickname for Rachel, but he didn't say anything.

"Temporary?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, you know, because we're all gonna finish our senior years—ours in college and you guys in high school. Then we'll all be moving to New York, right? That's still the plan, isn't it?"

Eddie and Trey confirmed their plans. Rachel nodded rapidly and began smiling widely. "Yes, that _is_ the plan! I can't wait!"

Puck didn't say anything. He didn't say anything when Rachel hugged Josh. He didn't say anything when Trey and Eddie stepped up for their Rachel-hugs either.

Rachel didn't really notice Puck's uncomfortable silence. She was too happy. She spent the subway ride back to the hotel looking up sights they should see together during their weekend alone. Rachel planned out all kinds of must-see trips to take, along with watching the fireworks over the Hudson River.

Puck was pretty sure the only _must-do_ on that list was the fireworks show.

He was right.

Saturday they ended up only emerging from the hotel room to eat.

It was fuckin' awesome.

They had an afternoon nap that they both agreed capped off a perfect morning alone in bed with no particular reason to do anything but be together.

Rachel drifted off to sleep first and turned away from Puck in her sleep. So in a familiar ritual by this time, he ran his hand along the S of her body, from her shoulders to her thighs, before bending his knees into the backs of hers and settling his head behind her on the pillow. As he moved into place, Rachel lifted her arm to move her hair, giving him access to his favorite spot on her neck.

"You awake?" he whispered, in case she wasn't.

She didn't answer, just continued breathing deeply. She must have just sensed his movements and responded. In the moment he realized that she had made that little move in her sleep, he also realized he felt tears stinging in his eyes and tightness spreading warmth in his chest.

"I love you so fucking much," he whispered to her vehemently.

He knew if he ever told anyone about the way that little gesture made him feel he'd be called a giant pussy.

But fuck the world.

He had his girl. He loved her and she loved him.

And that's the only thing that really mattered.

…

Rachel woke up from her nap about an hour later feeling refreshed and jubilantly happy. She couldn't name the reason for her fabulous mood, but she thought it was because of the boy sleeping next to her. She turned under his arm to face him.

He was so beautiful.

She loved him so much.

She kissed him softly as she crept out of the bed, careful not to wake him. She hopped in the shower. That was a necessity. She knew they'd have to venture out of the hotel to get some food eventually, and she also thought she could get a few things accomplished while she let her boyfriend sleep in peace.

…

Saturday afternoon during the never-ending drive through Pennsylvania, Josh called Quinn while Trey napped in the passenger seat of his van. Eddie was driving ahead of them in Josh's Buick. They didn't talk about anything special, but it was a nice way to pass the time for Josh.

It was for Quinn too. She took her cell outside and walked around her backyard on the phone, enjoying the summer sun and her mother's roses.

When Eddie headed toward an exit to stop for some food, Josh told Quinn he had to go.

"Bye, Josh, get home safely," Quinn said. She heard footsteps on the stone walkway, and she turned around to see Finn looking confused and hurt.

"You were talking to Josh?"

"Yes, I was. But it's no big deal," she told him. "We started talking again while he was with Puck and Rachel in New York. We're all friends again."

"If it wasn't a big deal, why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because it wasn't a big deal," she repeated. "I didn't even think about it."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"I am?" She pressed her hands to her cheeks even though she could feel the heat rising to her face almost as if cued by his words. 

"Yeah, you are."

"Maybe that's because you're yelling at me about it and it's making me feel defensive."

"I'm not yelling," Finn said. He wasn't. "If you'd told me in the first place I wouldn't be upset. Well, maybe I would… I thought you were my girlfriend again," he finished sadly.

"I am! Haven't we been having a good summer?"

"Yeah, I thought so. I thought I'd been a good boyfriend."

She thought about it and she definitely agreed. He took her to the movies she wanted to see, to the all the parties they were expected to attend. It was going very well. "You have been! You are!" 

"I tried sharing. I did that for you. It doesn't work for me. I know we're just in high school and I'm not trying to get married or anything, but I want someone who wants to be with just me." Finn took a few breaths and watched as Quinn's eyes filled with tears. "Look, maybe we should take a break. When you figure out what you want _again_, let me know." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" she rushed to him, clinging to his t-shirt. "I don't need any time. I choose _you_. You're my boyfriend."

"Well, I need some time," he said firmly while gently removing her hands from his chest.

"How much time?" she asked plaintively.

"I'll let you know."

Quinn watched him go as her vision blurred and the tears fell silently. She never wanted to hurt Finn, but that's what she always seemed to do. Silent tears gave way to full shoulder-racking sobs, and she ran inside the house and up to her bedroom.

She was a terrible person. What had she done? 

…

Sometime within the hour, Quinn's phone rang, and she answered it with a hopeful "Hello?" hoping it was Finn.

If she would have looked at the caller id, she probably wouldn't have answered the phone.

"Hello, Quinn," said Rachel. "Is this a bad time? You sound sick."

Quinn sniffed. Then she lied. "It's just allergies. I'm fine. How are you? I haven't heard from you since I tried to call you a week ago."

"I know. I'm so sorry, Quinn. That's why I'm calling. I want to return your call, even though any urgent information will have expired."

"Oh, I didn't want anything important," Quinn said. "I was just checking in to see if you and the guys were doing ok."

"That's what I thought. And speaking of the guys, I wanted to share a bit of news with you," Rachel said happily. "I think I've found a good match for Josh so that he can get over you. Did you know he's been basically pining over you this entire trip?"

"Really?" Quinn asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. "No, I had no idea. We only recently discovered that we don't hate each other," she said truthfully.

"I didn't ever think you hated each other," Rachel said. "And that's why I thought you'd be happy to know that I found a beautiful girl here in New York who is interested in him—at least she seems to be. And he used to like her a few years ago. Of course, she lives in New York and he'll be in Lima, but that will change next year, when we all move to New York!"

"Right. When you all move to New York," Quinn echoed. "I don't know if I can do New York," she said in a daze.

"Oh, of course not! I'm not expecting you to move there too. I assumed you'd feel more comfortable in Ohio. Especially since Finn will probably try to get a football scholarship to one of the state schools."

The sound was muffled, but Quinn could make out Puck telling Rachel to hurry up and get off the phone so she could get on his pole or something dirty like that. That was followed by Rachel exclaiming "Noah!" in an offended tone. Quinn shook her head. Typical Puck and Rachel stuff.

"It sounds like I should let you go, Rachel," Quinn said. "How about we talk again later?"

"That would be great, Quinn. I'm sorry about Noah. But we do only have a few more days together. I was trying to get a few things accomplished, and I didn't realize he'd be out of the shower so quickly."

"It's no problem. Enjoy the rest of your trip in New York," Quinn said.

"Thank you, Quinn, I will."

And she did.

…

Saturday and Sunday were spent together lounging in the hotel—mostly in bed—often engaging in vigorous activities that wouldn't necessarily qualify as _lounging_. But Monday they both agreed that they wanted to enjoy the Independence Day festivities in the city—outside the hotel room. They tried to pack in as much as they could. First stop was Magnolia Bakery, but the line was miles long, and they didn't want to waste time just waiting. They moved on to Central Park.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to share a cupcake at Magnolia Bakery," Puck told her with a half-smile.

"It's ok, sweetie," she smiled. "We'll be back. There will be plenty of time in the future to try a treat from the famous Magnolia Bakery. We'll go next time we're here."

"Next time?"

"Yes, of course there will be a next time. Once we move here, we'll have all the time in the world."

Puck ignored the prickling sensation in his stomach at the thought. Instead he told himself to pull his shit together and give Rachel the best day they could possibly have.

It worked pretty well.

They headed to Pier 84 early to get a spot to view the fireworks show over the Hudson River. The online guides said the space was limited. As they wandered around, Rachel decided to snap another self-portrait of the two of them. That's when Liv and Jake spotted them.

"Hi, you two," called Liv from a few feet away. She and Jake made their way to the young couple and offered to take their picture.

"Thank you, Liv," Rachel said. "Being from the hospitable Midwest, we are unsure if it is safe to ask a stranger to take our picture. We really appreciate it."

"No problem," Liv replied. "Usually anyone you ask would be happy to take your picture, I'm sure. But it is probably better to be safe than sorry."

The girls talked for a while and the guys talked sports and music while they waited for the fireworks. As darkness fell and the fireworks synched to music began, Rachel settled into Puck's arms.

They both sighed happily. They were completely content.

…

And late that night when they finally made it through the crowds and back to their hotel, Puck succeeded in making the day and the night the best one possible. 

"I'm gonna miss this," Puck told her before settling into their official sleeping position behind her.

"Which part?" she asked, not bothering to turn to face him, but enjoying the comfort of his arms around her and his breath on her neck.

"All of it."

"Me too," she said. "I love you, Noah."

"I love you too, Rach. So damn much."

She turned in his arms to give him a second goodnight kiss.

They finally fell asleep an hour later.

…

The alarm at 4:00am came way too early. Rachel jumped into the shower and set the alarm to go off again in 20 minutes in case she wasn't out to wake up her sleepy boyfriend. Today was her first day of camp, but she was going to take a detour to ride with Noah to the airport, and then use the same cab to make it to the theatre. She couldn't believe this day was already here.

Rachel was freaking out that Puck hadn't finished packing by the time she finished blow drying her hair.

"Relax, baby," he said. "I'm almost done. I just have to shove a few more things in the bag."

"I'm calling for the cab now, so you better be ready when it gets here!"

"I'll be ready," he assured her.

His only regret in getting those extra few minutes of sleep that delayed his packing time was the fact that he didn't have time for a quickie. If he had more brain cells firing this early, he would have totally gotten his ass in gear and given her one last good drilling.

It was still dark as hell outside when Puck and Rachel met the cabbie outside the hotel. They got in the cab and Puck told the guy to take them to JFK. As he leaned back, Rachel said his name and snapped a picture.

"Damn, Rach, I can't see anything after that flash!"

"I'm sorry, Noah, I had to get one last picture. And it's a good one too, see?" she showed him the result.

"Just don't forget to send me some of those pictures of us—and some of you." Then he lowered his voice to a growl, "I need some of you." He ran his hand up her leg.

Rachel put her camera away and shoved her bag aside. Another make-out session in a cab seemed an appropriate farewell.

…

While Puck wasn't a fan of saying "I love you" constantly, he was on board with the words in general and to use every now and then—to keep them special. So he meant it when he told her that he loved her and would miss her.

Rachel melted in his arms, but had to return to the cab instead of spending more time.

After waving goodbye to Rachel and paying for his part of the cab ride, Puck felt a little hollow. He supposed it was the effect of already missing her, even as he watched the cab pull away. In the airport and on the flight, he thought about the week that had passed and the weeks ahead. He could picture a life in New York in the future, totally. But he could also picture one in Ohio, closer to friends and family—closer to where his daughter would grow up.

Everyone else, especially Rachel, was so sure about New York. He knew that it wouldn't be long before they'd be back in New York. It was where Rachel belonged.

Puck just hoped he belonged there too.

…

Rachel didn't have too much time to wallow in her misery over her boyfriend's departure. She had to get to the theater by 8am for the first call and introductions for Broadway camp. She rushed into the auditorium with a few minutes to spare.

"Hey, girl!"

Rachel heard a voice that sounded a bit like Mercedes with a New York accent. She turned to see three girls waving her over.

"Me?" she asked tentatively.

"You don't recognize us?" the girl laughed. "We're on your floor at the hotel. I'm Lilli, this is Jen, and this is Alexa."

"Oh, so nice to meet you, I'm Rachel."

"It's ok," smiled Jen. Her auburn hair was in a messy ponytail, but Rachel could tell she was very pretty—all three girls were. They just weren't in the category of shockingly beautiful that made Rachel a little uncomfortable to be near. Not like she felt around Quinn Fabray sometimes.

Jen continued, "You seemed pretty distracted, and understandably so."

Rachel furrowed her brows and the girls laughed.

The slender brunette Alexa piped up, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh, you must have seen me with Noah!" Rachel realized out loud. "Yes, he is my boyfriend."

"Damn, girl, he is fine!" Lilli exclaimed. "Where is he?" All the girls looked around hoping for a glimpse.

"I just came from dropping him off at the airport," Rachel said, a hint of sadness causing her voice to shake. "He's on his way home."

"Oh, sweetie," Jen wrapped her arm around Rachel. "It's ok. Of course, I'm sad too since I don't get to see that muscled god," she joked. "But you'll see him after camp, right?"

Rachel was surprised that these girls seemed so friendly to her right away. It was so different than any of her experiences in high school or in any of her previous summer camps. She smiled sheepishly. "Yes, I'll see him at the end of camp. I'm a little over-emotional. And I'm a little dramatic, but maybe that's something we all have in common here."

The girls laughed and agreed. They all took a few minutes to get to know each other and made plans to meet up at lunch before the camp directors started the first session of Broadway Camp.

…

Rachel was in a different small group than Lilli, Jen, and Alexa, so after her session she headed to the Arte Café where they had agreed to meet for lunch. She had just finished learning a dance routine for camp and it was a humid day in the city, so she felt grimy. Rachel frowned when she saw her reflection in the glass door—her face was shiny and her hair was very curly. But she figured her new friends wouldn't pick on her appearance—not like the girls at McKinley. Here they seemed to like her automatically—maybe because she had a hot boyfriend. Rachel smiled to herself as she entered the café and decided to claim a table. She spotted an empty one next to a table with a lone male customer sipping an iced green tea—her favorite summer beverage. The curls of his hair looked familiar too.

"Jesse?" she asked hesitantly.

The boy turned around in his chair.

"Rachel Berry!" He stood up and held out his arms for a hug. "I was hoping I'd run into you in the city this summer."

Rachel cautiously stepped into his hug. She'd talked to him at the beginning of the summer, so he knew she would be here this summer for camps. And she knew he was moving to New York for college, and of course Broadway. But the last time they spoke, Noah had just beaten him up for reasons she didn't entirely understand. Jesse had promised to explain, but they hadn't reconnected since then for Rachel to get the whole story. "What are you doing here in July? School doesn't start for more than a month!"

"It's true," Jesse nodded. "But I couldn't wait to get here and get out of Ohio. Can you blame me?"

She shook her head no. "But the dorms wouldn't be open yet."

"My father has a one bedroom apartment in the city that he uses for business. So I moved in. I'll have to sleep on the couch when he's here on business, but that's a small price to pay," he shrugged with a smirk.

Rachel agreed. They chatted for a few moments, but Rachel kept glancing around the café looking for the girls.

"I'm meeting some friends here for lunch," she explained. "So I don't think you and I will have time to talk about all of the things I'd like to discuss."

Jesse nodded in understanding. "Of course. We should meet up again while you're here in the city. You should come by and see my apartment!"

Rachel started to agree, but then she felt a tug of concern. "Just to be clear, Jesse, I still have a boyfriend. I'm still dating Noah Puckerman."

He dismissed her concern. "Don't worry. Just a visit between friends, Rach. I promised you an explanation, didn't I? And wouldn't it be nice to talk shop together? You know, Broadway talk? I'm a step ahead of you on the path, so I could give you some advice for what you should be doing." He dangled the prize that he knew she'd find irresistible.

"Ok, as long as you're clear, then I'd be happy to meet you later," Rachel beamed.

"Great. Let's take a picture to commemorate this moment, shall we?" he asked as he grandly pulled out his camera phone.

"Sure," Rachel smiled. "I like to capture memories too."

He held out his camera and snapped the picture. "Great, I'll send it to you. Your number's the same right?" He called it and sent her the picture.

Rachel thanked him for the picture and hesitantly gave him the goodbye hug he started. She didn't want the girls to see her and get the wrong idea.

They did.

"Girl, you're a little player, aren't you?" Lilli exclaimed from behind Rachel.

"Oh, no! Really! That's just my friend Jesse."

Jesse heard his name and turned back around instead of exiting the café.

"Hello. I'm Jesse St. James. Would you care to introduce us, Rachel?"

So Rachel did.

"Well, I'll leave you ladies to your lunch. See you later, Rach," he flashed a grin before leaving.

Once he exited, all the girls were buzzing around Rachel.

"Wow, he's cute too!" marveled Alexa.

"And charming!" exclaimed Jen.

"So, since you've got your bouncer of a boyfriend, do you think your _friend_ Jesse is available?" smirked Lilli.

"I don't know if he's in a relationship, but I can find out," Rachel promised.

...

Meanwhile, by the end of football camp on Tuesday, it was clear to Puck that something was up. Finn seemed to be completely ignoring Quinn, which was not at all what things were like when Puck left.

"What's up with you and Q?" Puck asked Finn. He got the basic story.

"Sorry, dude. That sucks. So I guess that means we can hang out, just us guys?"

"Yeah, I guess," Finn shrugged then slumped his shoulders. 

"Don't sound so happy about it. I might get the wrong idea," he joked to lighten the mood.

"Sorry, I just...yeah...it sucks. I mean, hanging out with you will be cool and all..."

"Yeah, I get it. I guess Quinn's a hard girl to get over."

"Yeah."

"Just don't do what I did when I was getting over her."

"What's that?"

"Hook up with Rachel."

Finn gave a half smile. "Too late."

"What?" Puck exclaimed, trying to _not_ punch out his depressed and possibly delusional friend. 

"I did that the first time. Remember?"

"Fuck, yeah. Shit."

"Don't worry though."

"I'm not worried, dude. Please," he said smugly. "She's with _me_ now. She wasn't then."

Finn nodded. "Yeah." Finn wanted to say more, about how boyfriend status didn't stop Puck before from going after Quinn when they were together. But from the way Puck winced, Finn figured he thought about it too—just a little late.

"Fuck, sorry. Just please do not try to get me back like that."

"I won't. And Rachel wouldn't. I know she wouldn't."

"I know she wouldn't too," Puck said defensively.

"Maybe we can hang out later," Finn said slowly. "I need a day to forget about you with Rachel,  
and I need a lifetime to forget about you with Quinn."

"Dude? Really?"

"Nah, a day will work. Let's hang out tomorrow." 

... 

Rachel was enjoying the rigors of Broadway Camp. And she was really enjoying the fun of having a group of girlfriends. After the sessions ended for the day, the girls went back to the hotel together and planned on meeting again for dinner. They dressed up and headed out to Bond 45, an expensive restaurant a few blocks away. Rachel sent her boyfriend a text to let him know she'd met some new friends and would be out late at dinner.

She ran out of characters before she could mention her encounter with Jesse.

She didn't send a second message.

Rachel decided it would be best to tell him later in a phone call.

Then after an awesome night goofing off with the girls—with a picture taken by their cute waiter to prove it—the only thing Rachel could talk about that night on the phone with Noah was how much fun she was having. He had to go to bed to get up early for football camp, so she never had a chance to describe the part of her day that included seeing Jesse.

Upon ending the call, she decided she'd tell him about it after she visited Jesse. That way, there would be a whole story to tell.

…

Wednesday after football practice Finn and Puck decided to hang out and play Halo. With the way Puck bragged about his relationship with Rachel, it might not be surprising that Finn started asking him for advice about Quinn.

"You're the expert now, dude. What do you think I should do about Quinn? She's still talking to that Josh guy—your friend Josh. The whole thing just bums me out. Should I end the _break_ with a _break up_? How do I know what to do?"

"Easy," Puck said. "If you think you can live without her, then you probably can."

"Is that how you feel about Rachel? Like you can't live without her?"

"Well, it's not like I would literally die of heartbreak or anything gay like that. More like it would really suck without her. Like if these weeks without her over the summer were forever, it would totally suck ass."

"Uh-huh," Finn said thoughtfully. "…So did you feel that way about Quinn?"

"Well, yeah, I kinda did. You do realize I loved Quinn, right?"

"I guess," Finn said bitterly. "If you couldn't live without Quinn, then what happened?"

"Well, it helps when the feeling is mutual," he said ruefully. "And I have that with Rachel. It's a million times better, and it's kinda…amazing."

"That's pretty gay," Finn joked.

"If you think that, then you're probably not in love with Quinn. Because then you'd know what I mean."

"Well, I sorta felt that way the first time with Quinn, and with Rachel, but then it turned out that I _did _live without them, you know? So I don't know what to think. Maybe I loved them both…"

"Probably," Puck nodded. "Seems like a common problem."

"Well, that doesn't help me figure things out at all."

"Sorry, man. I don't know what else to tell you. The question is, what do you feel now? I guess I just go by the whole_ how would I live without her_ feeling. Oh, and sometimes there's this weird feeling in your chest, around your heart I guess, like when you look at her. I think that's love."

Finn raised his eyebrow. "This coming from Puckarone, the sex shark himself?"

"Funny. Yeah," Puck said dryly. "And I'm still a sex shark, dude. Just with, you know, only one prey or whatever."

"Whatever you say, man," Finn grinned. "One prey, huh?"

"Hey, let's keep this between us, got it? We're only 17—no need to worry about the future too much, right?"

"Sure, Puck, whatever you say."

Puck punched Finn in the arm. "Let's get our Halo on."

…

Thursday was fairly similar to the day before for both Puck and Rachel. With two main exceptions for Rachel: 1) she did not run into Jesse St. James on Thursday; and 2) she auditioned and landed her first role in the small group productions at camp.

That evening, she called her boyfriend before dinner. "Noah, I'm playing Evita! Can you believe it?"

"Uh, no?" Puck said what he hoped was the right answer.

"You remember, right? Evita is on my list of top roles I want to land on Broadway? This isn't really the same thing of course, but it's close. Please tell me you remember."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. Evita. That's the Madonna one, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Rachel smiled. He did listen to her. He did remember. "But now we'll have to start calling it the Rachel Berry one," she joked.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. I can tell you're distracted."

"Yeah, sorry. I'm having a Halo marathon with Finn."

"Isn't that what you were doing yesterday?"

"That's why they call it a marathon, Rach," he smirked.

"Of course," Rachel sighed. "Well, can you give Finn a message for me? You just have to repeat what I say, so it shouldn't be too distracting."

"Sure. Go."

She sighed again and began her message.

Finn was sitting next to Puck playing Halo, and soon realized that Puck was actually talking to him.

"This message is from Rachel," Puck started, parroting his girlfriend's words.

"I hope that in the midst of this emotional turmoil… Seriously, Rach? Remember this is Finn you're talking to here," Puck said into the phone.

Finn was about to protest, but then he realized that while he's busy trying not to die on Level 2, it would probably be easier to have a pre-translated message from Rachel rather than trying to strain his brain to interpret all of her giant words.

Puck started again. "Finn, I hope that in the middle of your difficulties with Quinn, with the help of these male bonding activities, you will do some soul-searching to find what makes you happy. …Is that all? Yeah, she's done. You can stop listening now, Finn."

"Cool," Finn said. "Tell her thanks."

"Finn said thanks."

They said their goodbyes with Puck telling Rachel that he'd call her back when he was alone and could sex her up over the phone.

"Noah!" Rachel exclaimed as she overheard Finn groan. She blushed as she was hanging up the phone.

And while that conversation was somewhat productive, it left her feeling unfulfilled. She decided to call someone else who would share in her joy over her role; someone who had already told her that singing _Don't Cry for Me Argentina_ was inevitable.

She called Jesse St. James.

…

**A.N.** Thanks for hanging in there, readers. The story is almost over. Also, in spite of the date this was posted, several parts of this story were written before the recent Glee episodes, so similarities you may see were actually unintentional since this is an alternate Puckleberry universe.

**Disclaimer:** One scene inspired by _A History of the World in 10 and a Half Chapters._


	5. Summer Fun? Part 1

**Ch 5 Summer Fun? Part 1**

**A.N.** I'm sorry for the delay in my approximately weekly updates. Busy life plus difficult chapter combined. But the story is almost over. Thanks to everyone for your feedback!

Links are for parts 1 and 2 of chapter 5. See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=4LtEumBeHFU

and playlist: /view_play_list?p=FE5FBDDF210D9BC9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.

…

On Thursday after leaving her boyfriend to his Halo marathon with Finn, Rachel called Jesse to tell him the good news about landing the role of Evita at Broadway Camp.

Of course, she received the type of reaction she was looking for from someone. She felt like she was the center of attention and had such a bright future ahead of her as she basked in Jesse's praises.

They chatted for about an hour, agreeing to meet in person the following evening. After hanging up with Jesse, Rachel immediately called Noah.

"You're probably still having your marathon," she said right away, foregoing the traditional 'Hello'.

"Yep," answered Puck. "What's up?"

"I just made plans with Jesse for tomorrow evening, and I want to let you know that after I finish my scenes on Friday, we'll be hanging out. Then I realized that it might be considerate if I check with you first, to make sure you're ok with that."

"Yeah, sure, that's cool. With Jenny, you said?" Puck vaguely remembered Rachel mentioning some girls she met. It seemed like one was named Jenny, another named Lilly, and maybe an Alice or something like that.

"No! _Jesse_!"

"Oh Jessie, sure. Yeah." Naturally, in Puck's distracted state, he assumed Rachel was talking about some chick named Jessie.

"Well, thank you. I appreciate your trust in me." Rachel was pleasantly surprised at Noah's casual attitude, but it just confirmed her original notions that being friends with your ex-boyfriend is perfectly acceptable and that she and Noah have a very mature relationship.

"Yeah, of course I trust you. Just don't run around New York too much just the two of you. Dangerous shit."

"Don't worry, we won't. We both know our way around," she smiled into the phone.

"I'll probably do something with Finn anyway. Since he's kinda working things out about Quinn. But we'll still talk that night and later on the weekend, right?"

"Of course. But don't forget, I have late rehearsals for our showcase. We're doing a camp showcase on Tuesday as preparation for the Family Finale. So my schedule is going to get more hectic than it has been so far."

"Ok, break a leg, babe," Puck said. He was really kicking some ass in Halo. "Give me a call before you go to bed so I can put you to sleep right."

"Why don't you give me a call when you're…alone," Rachel told him. She knew what he meant and the conversation he was referring to having at bedtime was not one she wanted to take place in front of Finn Hudson.

"Oh yeah, that makes sense. I'll totally do that. What'cha gonna do while you wait for my call, baby?" he asked with a grin.

"Noah! We're not starting this now!" Rachel exclaimed. "Not until you're alone," she said in a lower voice—even though she was alone in her hotel room.

"C'mon, he can't hear you," Puck said. He glanced at Finn innocently and realized that Finn was looking less than amused. Apparently he was paying some attention to their conversation.

"Noah Elijah Puckerman, I will not have phone sex with you while you're playing video games with Finn," she said through clenched teeth. "You know better than to even ask!"

"Yeah," he grinned. "But it's fun to hear your reactions. You're pretty hilarious. Hell, I think I might have to end this Halo marathon early so we can get to it."

"Well, then end it already!"

Puck laughed. "I love that you're so impatient. You want me so badly. Admit it, Berry."

"Dude!" Finn exclaimed as he punched Puck in the shoulder. "Too much info! Save it for when you're at home."

Rachel overheard Finn and blushed furiously. "Noah, I'm so embarrassed," she wailed.

"Just admit, and I'll leave so we can talk about it," Puck teased. But he had already quit his game. The phone was silent for a few moments before Rachel finally sighed.

"I admit it." Quietly she said, "Of course I want you. I miss you so much. I never knew how lonely sleeping can be until I was able to sleep next to you and wake up in your arms every day."

"Damn, you're good, baby. I'm leaving right now." Puck waved goodbye to Finn and was out the door in a flash. "I feel the same way. It sucks that we won't be able to do that even once you're back from camp. Unless I sneak over every night. Oh, I'm totally sneaking over every night!"

"Yay!" Rachel laughed and her mood was lifted. Then her practical side chimed in. "That seems very risky though—I'd hate for you to get grounded and forbidden from seeing me."

"Are you kidding? My mom would probably give me her blessing and invite you to move in with us!" He was only half-joking. Part of him thought that his mom really was crazy enough to let Rachel move in even without being preggo like Quinn was when she moved in.

"That might need to happen," she sighed, "if my dads ever caught you staying the night without permission."

"They still don't like me much, do they?"

Rachel couldn't bring herself to admit that she was afraid he was right. Instead she said, "They're very overprotective, as you know. Oh, and speaking of my dads, I forgot to mention earlier that they'll be calling your mom about coming to New York for the Family Finale at the end of camp."

"Shit," he groaned.

"Would it really be _that_ bad?"

"Yes," he said firmly. "I've gotta take care of this shit. I'm gonna talk to Mom when I get home, and then I'll give you a call back. I'm still gonna give you my personal bedtime phone treatment," he finished smoothly.

"I'll be waiting," Rachel said seductively.

"I'll hurry," Puck promised. Damn, sometimes Rachel Berry still surprised him. She could go from uptight to sex-fiend in two seconds flat. "Don't start without me," he told her before a better idea came to mind. "Forget I said that. Feel free to start without me and tell me all about it when I call."

"Oh, Noah!"

"Bye, baby," he grinned.

"Talk to you soon, sweetie," she smiled.

Puck shook his head at her pet name for him, but it was a small price to pay for everything he got in return by being with Rachel. He had a pretty sweet deal.

Moments later, Puck walked into his house and spotted his mom and sister on the couch, watching the end of some stupid tv show.

"So, you and the kid aren't going to New York, got it?" he said immediately.

"Hello to you too, Noah," Deb Puckerman said.

"But Noey!" cried Sarah. "I wanna see Rachel! I wanna hear her sing!"

"Oh really? Do you really wanna see her do a boring political play about South America? It's probably all in Spanish so we won't even understand it. I'm pretty sure even Rachel Berry can't save it. I'm not even interested in it, so I can't imagine you'd want to suffer through it," Puck said in his most serious voice.

Sarah wrinkled her nose. "Oh, not really then. I could just see Rachel when she comes home."

"Good decision," Puck nodded. He was pleased that his mom didn't contradict him. But then he realized his mom probably couldn't afford a last minute trip to New York for all of them. He felt a little bad, but not bad enough. "I'm still going, Ma, ok? I've gotta support my _girlfriend_." He thought emphasizing that last word might do the trick and persuade his mom to let him go.

Deb Puckerman was already planning to grant her son permission to go with the Berry's and she was already planning to take the option off of the table for Sarah because she couldn't afford it. "Yes, I agree, it's important to support your girlfriend. If you can pay for your own way, then I give you my permission to go to New York…again."

"Thanks, Mom! You're the best!" He kissed her on the cheek, tousled Sarah's hair, and said good night.

"Hey!" Sarah swiped at him as he messed up her hair. "Why are you so excited about going if you say it's going to be so boring? And why are you going to bed before I am?"

"No one pulls one over on you," Puck grinned. "I'm looking forward to going because I miss Rachel. And I'm going to bed early so I can talk to Rachel before I go to bed. I've got football camp tomorrow, so I have to get up early. You're lucky it's summer, Squirt. Otherwise, you'd be asleep by now instead of bugging me about Rachel."

That seemed to satisfy Sarah. Or at least shut her up. She stuck out her tongue before turning her attention back to whatever crap she was watching on tv.

"Thanks again, Mom," Puck said before running upstairs to call Rachel.

…

"Let's get right to business. Are you ready for this?" Puck asked.

"I think so. I'm getting better at it, don't you think?"

"Totally," he assured her.

"It helps that I'm the only one in this room—unlike when I had Tina has my roommate a few weeks ago," Rachel said. She realized she was rambling a bit, but these activities always made her a bit nervous.

"Yeah, but let's not talk about that stuff now, ok? Remember what we talked about? How to get in the mood?"

"Yes, of course. My apologies." Rachel settled in under the blanket. "I'm here, in the dark, lying in bed. I have the pillow next to me. But really it's you. I'm in my lace lingerie, and you're here."

"That's right," Puck said smoothly. He brought out his best sex talk. "Can you feel me? With you in the dark? Can you feel my hands? They're traveling up your legs, parting your knees."

"Noah…"

"That's it, baby. Say my name, Rachel."

"Noah…"

"My hands move to your thighs. You feel me slide off your panties. Tell me what you want, baby."

"Your hands…they're …magical."

Puck smirked. Magical hands? Sounded a little _Disney_, but he'd take it. (_Disney_ was his substitute for _gay _in most instances.)

He told her what to do to imitate what he wanted to do to her. He hoped she followed his directions. "You're restless now, you're ready for me. Do you feel ready for me?"

"I'm ready. I want you so badly. I miss you so much."

"I want you too. So fucking much." His pulsing dick was only partial proof of that. "That's what this is all about—until we can really be together."

"I can't wait," she breathed.

"I know," Puck said before going back into his fantasy. "That's me. Between your legs. A drop of sweat rolls down your thigh. I lick it and you shiver under my tongue."

"Noah!" she exclaimed, in a combination of offense and distress.

"What? Just trying to mix it up a bit."

"Don't you find that…gross?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be phone sexing you about it, would I?"

"No, I suppose not. I'm sorry for interrupting."

"Alright, let's get back into it, B. Tell me something you like about me," he commanded.

"Your arms. I feel them wrapped around me. Your arms are lovely."

"_Lovely_? Do you _alway_s have to say that? Try _sexy_ or _badass_ or something manly like that."

"Badass? Really, Noah?" she asked skeptically. "That's better than lovely?"

Puck sighed. "Focus, Rachel, this is important."

"It is?"

"Well, yeah. How else can I survive without you?"

The line was silent while Rachel pondered her response. "Hold on."

"What? No." But when his phone buzzed moments later with a picture message, Puck was more than happy that Rachel told him to wait. He now had a totally inappropriate picture of her on his phone. Fuck yeah. That should really help him out. She was getting much braver. Ok, there weren't any nips showing, but still, partial frontal nudity was so hot.

"Baby, you know what I need," he told her when she returned to the phone for their 'conversation'.

"I was hoping that would…improve the situation," she said as seductively as she could manage.

"Totally. Just the right thing."

"Care to return the favor?" she asked.

"Oh hell yeah!" Puck exclaimed. "I love it when you get into it, baby! Any requests?"

"Your face! And your chest! And your abs!" Rachel laughed. "I can't decide. You're too good. Too sexy."

"Oh yeah, that's more like it. Your wish is my command," Puck replied.

They didn't have any more trouble the rest of the night.

…

Friday was Puck's _man date_ with Finn, and Rachel's meeting with Jesse St. James. Finn and Puck decided to take a break from Halo marathons and get out of the house. They had a few regrets about that choice later.

Rachel had some uncertainty about her decision to meet Jesse. She wasn't sure what to expect and the girls were teasing her (in a good-natured way) about being a magnet for men or something silly like that. Honestly, she'd never been 'accused' of something so ridiculous in her life. It didn't help that in her small group she was playing the role of Evita and she was becoming friends with the two male leads. Blake was playing Evita's husband, Juan Perón. Rob was playing the narrator, Ché. The other girls were in different small groups with different roles, but for some reason they hadn't introduced any of their male leads to the group. Of course, Rachel insisted that Rob and Blake were just trying to make friends with similar interests. And even if they weren't, Rachel assured the girls that she was not at interested in anyone besides her boyfriend.

"Yeah, that boy's too fine. I can't imagine anyone around here measuring up to that," Lilli told her.

"It's not just about looks," Rachel protested.

The girls looked at her skeptically. Rachel smiled shyly, "Though I'm sure Noah's exceptional attractiveness does nothing to hamper my feelings for him." She smiled wider at the laugh her answer garnered since it all seemed friendly.

It was.

This was a nice change for Rachel—to make friends easily and have their joking seem friendly instead of spiteful (the way many of her interactions at McKinley had often gone).

The girls also got a kick out of Rachel's vocabulary. "You always talk like that, don't you?" Alexa asked tentatively.

"What do you mean?"

Jen explained. "Like everything you say is this mouthful of words. You sound really smart. But you also sound like you're about fifty years old."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for the compliment and the explanation. I'll try to sound more youthful when I converse with my young peers," Rachel vowed.

Again the girls looked at each other with smirks on their faces. "Just keep it real," Lilli advised. "It's obviously been working for you so far. You have to beat off the men with a stick!"

Rachel again protested—saying that in fact, it hadn't been working for her, and that she somehow managed to obtain Noah in spite of her speaking habits. When she had to excuse herself to meet Jesse, the girls had a few things to say—mostly more teasing about how Rachel was getting some on the side.

"You know that's not true!" Rachel exclaimed. "Besides, didn't I say I'd find out if Jesse's single? Better be nice to me ladies, or I won't put in a good word for you," she grinned mischievously.

"Alright, girl, you go meet your _friend_," Lilli said. "Tell him how great we all are—and some of us, meaning me, actually live in New York."

"I will be sure to tell him," Rachel smiled.

She headed to the Arte Café, where she had agreed to meet Jesse as a neutral site before heading on to his apartment. Rachel was a little unsure what to expect. She couldn't imagine that a discussion about why her current boyfriend had pummeled her ex-boyfriend would be very delightful. But Jesse had said that he wanted to explain the details, and Noah had already told her his side of the story, so Rachel was taking this opportunity to hear from Jesse.

She made it to the café and spotted Jesse right away. She took a seat at his table and said, "Hello."

"Sorry you kept me waiting," said Jesse.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, taken aback by his manners (or lack of).

Jesse chuckled. "Lighten up, Rachel. I'm just joking."

Rachel smiled…hesitantly. "I'm sorry, were you waiting long?"

"I suppose I was just anxious, making the time pass more slowly than it actually was."

"You, anxious?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "I thought Jesse St. James doesn't get nervous."

"I don't get nervous for performing," Jesse corrected. "But I do get anxious before meeting a beautiful woman—especially when I have to tell her unsavory things."

Rachel went from blushing at his subtle compliment to worrying about what he had to say. "Is this something we should discuss in private?"

"I'd prefer it," Jesse nodded. He stood and held out his arm for Rachel to take. She did so…hesitantly. "Let me show you to my humble abode where we can converse freely."

Jesse led her out of the café and to the subway station to take them out of the Theater District. Since they needed a light topic of conversation, Rachel decided it was a good time to bring up Lilli and the girls' questions about his relationship status. Of course, she didn't think about how it would sound to Jesse.

He thought she was asking for her own curiosity, using her friends as a cover. "To answer your question, I am single, Rachel. I'm planning to focus on getting my life in New York, my career started, so I haven't really thought about dating. But it's always nice to find compatible people for friendship and maybe more."

"That's excellent. Very mature outlook on dating, Jesse. And I'm sure Lilli will be especially pleased to hear that. She wanted me to emphasize that she lives in New York, so she won't be leaving when camp ends like the rest of us will be."

Jesse nodded, appraising Rachel to determine if the whole Lilli thing was the ruse he'd thought. Now upon reassessment, Jesse thought that Rachel really was asking these questions on Lilli-somebody's behalf.

Apparently, he had been staring at Rachel too long.

"Is there something wrong? Is my mascara running or something?" Rachel quizzed.

"On the contrary, you look beautiful. You changed your hair, didn't you?"

A faint blush colored Rachel's cheeks. "Yes, thank you for noticing. I cut my bangs last month, and I got my hair styled just over a week ago at a salon here."

"It suits you."

"Thank you," Rachel said demurely, barely aware that she tucked her hair behind her ear and smoothed out her sundress.

When they emerged from the subway the humid evening air greeted them. As they walked the several blocks to Jesse's apartment, Rachel noticed a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Oh, I'm such a mess."

"You're hot," Jesse assured her.

"If you're referring to my temperature, then you're exactly right."

"I was referring to both, I suppose," Jesse said, stopping to wipe the sweat from Rachel's brow.

"How can you do that? Don't you find it disgusting?"

"Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite." He gave her a half-smile and looked her in the eyes.

Rachel looked away uncomfortably. "What is it with guys and sweat?"

"Are you saying that you don't find a little sweat sexy?"

"Well…no, I wouldn't say that." She was suddenly aware that Jesse was glistening with perspiration as well. "It seems more common to think of men's sweat as sexy and women's sweat as…unladylike."

"I don't think so. Or if that's true, we like it when you're a bit unladylike. I'd conjecture that a light sheen of sweat reminds us men of the vigorous activity of sex, so of course we like it."

"Jesse!"

"What? I'm just being honest," he shrugged before grinning, "You used to love that about me."

It took Rachel a moment to compose herself. "I still…_appreciate_ that quality."

"I'm glad to hear it since that's what this meeting is all about, right? Me being honest with you."

"Right."

They arrived at the St. James apartment—a sparsely furnished but well decorated room greeted Rachel. Certainly plenty of furniture and space for Jesse and his dad, she thought abstractly. "Is your father here on business this weekend?"

"No, actually the family is at my uncle's place in the Hamptons as we speak. In fact, I'll be joining them shortly."

"That sounds fabulous! As they say, what is summer in the city without the Hamptons?"

"Exactly," Jesse smiled. "You should come." He hadn't even thought about inviting her, but the opportunity was too good to miss.

"What?" Rachel squeaked.

"You know, this is the only time we'll be in the same city together for a while...At least for a full year, I imagine. You should come out to the Hamptons with me. Meet some of the family, relax…we could go sailing!"

"Sailing! I'd love to go sailing!" Rachel exclaimed without thinking. "Wait, I don't think I have enough time off from camp to go off to the Hamptons. We have rehearsals every day from 8am until 6pm. Then we'll have our camp showcase on Tuesday and the Family Finale this weekend. Then I'm leaving."

Jesse nodded resignedly. Then Rachel piped up again.

"Wait!"

"Again?" he grinned.

"I just remembered that after the showcase we get a break! The directors are going to evaluate our performances and in the meantime there's an optional excursion to explore the Theater District. I could meet you out in the Hamptons instead!"

"That sounds perfect, Rachel! It would be great to spend a day with you there. Since I'd already be there, maybe you should invite a friend along so you two could travel together. I'd hate for you to make the trip alone. But I'd meet you, of course."

"I'll ask Lilli!" Rachel was thrilled at the kismet.

"Sure," Jesse chuckled. "Ask Lilli. I'd like to get to know her a little before you have us betrothed."

Rachel gave him a playful swipe. "I'll ask Lilli if she would like to join me. And let me ask Noah if he minds, then I'll let you know.

He scoffed. "Well, I already know what the answer will be to that. It's been nice catching up with you, Rachel. I hope you have a fulfilling life."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with narrowed eyes. 

"I think you know. Your boyfriend will not approve of you coming out to the Hamptons with me, even for a purely platonic visit. So if you ask him, he'll say no. I know you, Rachel, and you won't want to lie to him. And I know him fairly well from all of our encounters, and given the beating he delivered upon our last meeting, it's safe to conclude that he hates me. So I know you won't be going. It's just too bad because this is the only week we'll both be in New York before you go back to Ohio…"

"I haven't said no yet. Let me call you tomorrow."

"Ok…fine," he said skeptically.

"I'll have you know that Noah was completely fine with me meeting you today," Rachel said defensively. "So I see no reason why he'd have a problem with me visiting you and your family next week. Especially since Lilli would be joining me."

Jesse was surprised. That Neanderthal may have evolved in the past two months. Or perhaps he trusted Rachel—and trusted Jesse to keep his word that he wasn't going to pursue Rachel (this year).

Interesting.

He smiled at Rachel. "I must say that I'm surprised. But good for him! And good for you! Good for you both! You two have a very progressive relationship mentality. I also think you make an excellent point about the addition of Lilli or another one of your friends. That should alleviate any concerns your boyfriend might have. I really assumed that he hated me."

"Speaking of that, you were planning to tell me your side of the story," she reminded him.

"Let me offer you a beverage, and I'll begin. Please, make yourself at home. Have a seat." He gestured to the couch. "I should have some iced green tea in the fridge. Would you care for a glass?"

"Yes, thank you. That's my favorite summer drink," she beamed.

"I remember," he smirked. "Be right out." Once the hosting duties were out of the way, he took a seat next to her and breathed deeply. It was time to admit the truth—most of it.

Jesse told her about his arrangement with Shelby Corcoran and how Shelby backed out of it without a good explanation. Of course, this was a shock to Rachel, and she was understandably upset. He kept her from leaving though, by offering her more truth.

Rachel sat back down on the couch, reluctantly.

He told her that in the process of spying on her, he totally fell for her and so he was actually glad when he didn't have to report back to Shelby. He also told her how Puck found out and what he did (by overhearing some of his idiot friends talking at Nationals in Orlando). Then he described how Puck showed up in Carmel and beat the hell out of him. He wasn't too proud to go into the details of his attacker's handiwork. In fact, it seemed to make Rachel more sympathetic toward him.

Jesse told her that he promised Puck that he wouldn't pursue her. He only left out one thing…the fact that he included the condition that Puck had this year without Jesse's interference. But after that, all bets were off. So Jesse didn't tell Rachel the part about how building up her trust and friendship now might eventually lead to him pursuing her romantically when she moved to New York next year.

When he finished, he scrutinized her face for any indication of her feelings. She just looked overwhelmed. "Why don't you take some time to digest that?" he suggested.

"Yes, that sounds wise. It is a lot to ponder. I do thank you for telling me. It's late, and I should be going."

Jesse sent her back to her hotel in a cab so she wouldn't have to take the subway alone at night. He offered to go with her, and he offered to let her stay overnight, but she refused.

He knew she would, but it didn't hurt to try.

…

Meanwhile, Puck was struggling to figure out something to do with Finn that didn't involve playing Halo, picking up chicks, or engaging in illegal activities that were likely to get him in trouble (either with the cops or Rachel). This was harder than he thought it would be. Lately Puck had been spending most of his free time practicing with the guys in the band. He hadn't been hanging out with his high school friends as much, especially not Finn—they'd only recently realized that they could stand each other again. And before Rachel left for her camps, she was Puck's main extracurricular activity. So he wasn't sure how to get back to how things were before that with Finn. He supposed that normally on weekends they'd go to a party if they didn't just hang out at home playing Xbox or Wii. But at a party they ran the risk of running into Quinn, who Finn didn't want to see right now.

"How about bowling?" Finn suggested.

"Fuck no! Is that your go-to date place? You may have forgotten, but I haven't forgotten your little _friend_ date with Rachel. She told me it was bowling—and she told me that it was kinda awkward considering the first time the two of you went bowling. Since I don't want you to kiss me on our _man_ date, I say no to bowling."

"Hey, she's the one who kissed me!" Finn protested. "And I like the bowling alley. It helps me clear my head."

"Whatever. No bowling." He paused to think and came up with another option. "Batting cages?"

"Sure, that's cool."

They headed out to the local batting cages, and Puck took a picture of the two of them on his phone and sent it to Rachel. "So she'll know it's just us guys," he explained. Puck was a little surprised when he didn't get an immediate flurry of texts from Rachel, but he shoved his phone in his pocket and concentrated on the menu for their "dinner". Hotdogs, nachos, french-fries…why choose? He ordered all three.

So did Finn.

…

Meanwhile, Quinn was miserable. She sat on her bed, doing her homework and listening to music. Yes, homework on a Friday night. As _Love Save the Empty_ filled her room, she thought about all the mistakes she'd made…with Puck, with Finn, with Josh, with Finn. She never really gave love a chance.

But she was young. Maybe she needed to be _Just Quinn_ for awhile. Not _Quinn and Finn_ or _Quinn and Josh_. Even _Quinn and Puck_. She'd been _Quinn and Somebody_ forever.

Well, she supposed there'd always be Quinn and Puck for some things because of Diana Isabel. But that was more like Miss Quinn and Mr. Noah.

She was not going to cry. She was not going to run to Finn. She would wait for him to work things out on his own. She just hoped he'd hurry up and decide already. Here she was, alone on a Friday night, while Finn was probably…

What was Finn doing?

…

Puck felt his phone vibrate in the middle of a mouthful of fries. He smirked. "S'probably Rachel," he told Finn. "Be right back."

Finn nodded and continued working his way through his massive meal of junk food.

"S'up, girl?" he answered his phone.

"Puck, it's Quinn," she said, sounding peeved at his greeting.

"S'up, girl?" he repeated, even sexier this time. He figured it would either piss her off or make her laugh. He'd take either reaction.

"Puck!"

Ooh, pissed. He smirked. She still hadn't answered his question (what's up), so he just waited for more.

Quinn huffed when she realized he wasn't going to say anything else. "I'm just wondering what you're doing… You're with Finn, right?"

"Maybe."

"I'm in no mood for this, but since I'm going to ask for a favor, I suppose I'll have to deal with your childish behavior."

"That's right. Wait, I'm not childish," Puck defended. "Apologize or there's no way I'm doing whatever favor you're asking for." He loved having the upper hand.

She sighed, but she apologized. "This is the first weekend since Finn declared our break…I'm really hoping he won't go out…and do something he regrets…"

"Well, I was gonna be his wingman to help him score some tail."

"Puck, no! Please!"

"Shit, Q, I was kidding."

"This is no time for jokes."

"I guess not. Damn."

"I'm asking you to keep an eye on him—and not as a wingman or whatever—but as a good friend to him and to me—a friend who wouldn't want another friend hurting. A friend who-"

Puck interrupted her. "My head is hurting from all your blabbing, woman. Chill, we're just hanging out at the batting cages. I won't let him do anything too stupid."

"Ignoring your insult, I'll say thank you, Puck."

"You're welcome. And just so you know, he hasn't even mentioned hooking up with someone else during this little break you're on, so I guess he's taking it seriously—like he really wants to think about things. That's not the easiest thing to do for anyone, especially not Finn."

When Quinn spoke, Puck could hear the smile in her voice, so he figured his little joke did the trick. "I appreciate that, Puck. I'll let you get back to enjoying your boys' weekend."

"Later, Quinn." After he hung up, Puck sent Quinn the picture he'd sent to Rachel to show Quinn proof of their innocent boys' night. He headed back to the bench where Finn had just finished off his food and was clearly eyeing Puck's nachos.

"Don't even think about it!" Puck called.

…

In the middle of batting practice, Puck got a text from Rachel. He glanced at the time—10:30. She was clearly pleased with the picture he'd sent to her. He stepped out of the batting cage to call her back.

"Noah! You must have just read my messages!"

"Hey, baby. Glad you liked the pic. I sent it to Quinn too just a minute ago."

"Really? Why?"

Puck told the story of Quinn's favor. He ended by saying, "That girl can't take a joke."

Rachel laughed, but then she said soberly, "Well, they are in a very difficult situation. We should be sympathetic."

"Yeah, I was…eventually. I told her I'd keep Finn out of trouble."

"Good. I'm proud of you—and your sensitive side."

"I'll show you _sensitive_," Puck quipped.

"Such things will have to wait, won't they?" she said calmly. She was getting used to his typical banter. "Anyway…so Quinn is really into Finn then…" Rachel pondered out loud. "I half-expected that she'd run to Josh."

"She seems to be freaking out about Finn. Never mentioned Josh," Puck shrugged.

"Well, then let's hope that Finn and Quinn will work this out soon."

"Speaking of, I should probably get back to Finn. Will you be up later?"

"I'm actually quite tired," Rachel admitted. "I heard some old, but disquieting news today, so I'm a little upset. I'll probably go to bed early."

"You wanna talk about it now?" Puck asked worriedly.

"No, that's not necessary, but thank you so much for being the best boyfriend ever," Rachel smiled. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow when you have a break from the Finn Watch."

"Sounds good. Thanks, babe. You're the best too, you know?"

"Thank you for being wonderful, Noah."

"Back at ya', B."

"Dude, who knew you could be so…sappy?" Finn called.

Rachel giggled as she hung up the phone.

…

She had every intention of going directly to bed after showering the grime of the day away. Instead, she ran into 'the girls' in the hotel lobby and they _had_ to find out how her meeting with Jesse went. And unfortunately, Blake and Rob were heading up to their rooms from the hotel pool. After making some small talk in the elevator all around, Jen spoke up. "So is it official that we're having a little gossip party in Rachel's room now?"

"Gossip party?" Rob raised his eyebrow. "You girls have fun."

Once Rachel got over the shock of finding herself about to host an impromptu social gathering, she realized this was a good opportunity. "Actually, it won't be a gossip party, but I could use some advice. So Rob, you and Blake are more than welcome to stop by my room with us if you like. I assure you we won't be staying up much later because I'm exhausted and we have a long day tomorrow."

Blake and Rob looked at each other, shrugged, and agreed to join the girls. Gossiping girls were annoying, but it was hard to pass up the opportunity to hang out with four hot leading ladies.

…

After Rachel told a much-abridged story, she asked, "What do you all think?"

"Well, I sure as hell wanna go to the Hamptons," Lilli said, "so thanks for thinking of me, girl!" She reached over to hug Rachel. "I think it would be great. And I've been kind of kidding about the whole hookin' me up with Jesse thing, but I won't turn down a trip to the Hamptons with a fine guy and a great gal pal."

"Aw, thanks, Lilli! I'm sorry I didn't ask for invitations for everybody," Rachel apologized. "But what do those of you who are unbiased with a trip to the Hamptons think?"

Alexa bit her bottom lip. "This is a tough one."

Jen piped up, "I think what your boyfriend doesn't know won't hurt him. If you wanna go, just go."

"Maybe you're right. What about you, Blake, Rob? I need some male opinions."

Rob shook his head no. This was dangerous territory. He thought he should mimic Alexa and not answer. Besides, Alexa was cute, so he didn't want to risk saying the opposite of whatever she may think.

So the task of speaking on the behalf of all men everywhere fell to Blake.

"Uh, ok," started Blake. "If you think he won't want you to go, then I don't think you should go."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah. Imagine the roles reversed. Would you want him spending a weekend with his ex?"

"That's completely different," she protested.

Blake laughed. "Oh really? How?"

Rachel was not about to reveal the details of Quinn and Noah's past sexual relationship and her lack of one with Jesse. "It just is. It's personal."

"Ok, put it another way. If you go, will you feel guilty?"

"…Maybe…" she fumbled. "Not that I'd do anything at all for which I should feel guilty," she said quickly. "But I don't want to put Noah in an uncomfortable position if I do ask him for his opinion. I don't want it to bring up unnecessary stress. You see, in their last encounter, Noah punched Jesse several times—causing enough damage that Jesse would have been within his legal rights to press charges; however, when I asked him if he was comfortable with me meeting Jesse tonight, he was completely fine with the idea."

"He was?" Rob couldn't help asking. "That seems weird. So, he goes from kicking your ex's ass to being perfectly cool with you hanging out with him alone? Maybe he would be cool with you heading out to the Hamptons."

"Right?" asked Rachel hopefully. "Maybe Noah worked out all of his aggression already, and he has moved on. We have a very mature relationship," she stated, more smugly than she intended.

"Well, if it's so mature," Blake said, "then you should just bring it up to him. He should be able to handle it without flying out here to beat up your ex or he'll be honest enough to tell you that he's uncomfortable with it. It sounds like the clear answer is that you should talk to him."

Rachel nodded. "That's just what I thought originally. Then after hearing Jesse's story about the pummeling, I thought perhaps I shouldn't bring up anything that might spark any negative feelings. Noah will be flying here for the Family Finale, but I assume Jesse will be in the Hamptons, so encounters should be safely avoided."

Alexa nodded. "I agree, Rachel. Honesty is almost always the best policy."

"Definitely," Rob nodded.

Rachel suppressed her smirk. Rob and Alexa—her next match-making goal? "Well, thank you all so much for your help and thoughtful advice. If you all don't mind, I'd like to have a shower and get some sleep."

Before they realized exactly what was happening, the guests were all expertly herded to the door with goodbye hugs and thank you's.

As the hotel door shut, Lilli looked at the others. "Damn, she's good."

"We were just kicked out, weren't we?" Jen marveled.

Alexa nodded with a smile. "Goodnight, Blake, Rob. Enjoy your rehearsal tomorrow with our little drama queen."

Rob and Blake smirked. "I'm sure we will," Rob said. "Goodnight, girls."

…

Saturday morning Josh called Puck. "Dude? What time is it?" Puck grumbled into the phone.

"It's nine, sorry, man. I know it's last minute, but those all-ages places kinda worked for us out in NYC, and the guys and I had gotten out of those places once we turned 21…But this opportunity came up to play at the CoffeeHouse, so I was hoping you'd be up for it."

"When?" Puck sighed. He did not want to get up early on his day of rest.

"Be there at 11, show starts at noon."

"Yeah, ok. Cool."

"You can invite your friends if you want," Josh suggested.

"You mean Quinn?"

"You can invite her…and her…boyfriend, if you want to, but I just meant in general so we'd have a friendly crowd."

"Yeah right, sure," Puck knew better than to believe that line of crap. "I'll see you at 11," he settled back into the comfy side of the pillow. "Wait, where is it again?"

"The CoffeeHouse. It's on 4th and Lindsley."

"Got it." Puck rolled over and promptly fell back asleep.

…

An hour later, Puck called Finn to invite him to the show. Even though he knew it could end up being hella awkward. Thankfully, Finn had plans. He was going to a baseball game with his mom, Kurt, and Kurt's dad. They had to drive to Cleveland, so Finn wouldn't be around that day or that night.

Puck was officially off Finn Watch.

He called Quinn. "So, you should come, if you want to—no pressure. And invite some people. Josh just wants to have some friends in the crowd so we don't look lame. We need some people to clap for us and shit."

"Is Finn going?" she asked right away.

"Nope, he's going to Cleveland for an Indian's game for the day."

"Well…ok…I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I am trying to prove that I can be friends with Josh and still be a loyal girlfriend to Finn."

"Exactly," Puck said. As if he cared.

"And I wouldn't want you boys to feel lame," Quinn smiled.

"Now you're talking," Puck said. "So, call up your fellow chicks, boy toys, whatever, and get to the CoffeeHouse on 4th and Lindsley for some lunch and some happenin' tunes."

"You're such a dork," Quinn laughed.

"I'm a future rock star; be careful how you treat me now, or I may just forget you when I'm famous," he teased.

"You could never forget me," she told him.

He agreed.

…

Quinn called Brittany and Santana, who called Mike and Matt. Puck realized he probably should have called more people if they really wanted to avoid looking lame, but it didn't turn out too badly. The place was small, and there was already a pretty good-sized lunch crowd.

"Dude, why'd you only invite chicks with boyfriends?" Trey lamented.

"Sorry, man, I don't know too many single ladies anymore," Puck shrugged, mentally slapping the Beyoncé tune out of his head. "I'm sure I could dig up some Cheerios."

"Some what? Why would I want cereal?" Trey asked.

"They're—never mind."

Josh told the guys he also had a gig set up for them on Sunday night at The Tavern.

"Sunday?" asked Eddie. "Not tonight?"

"We lost our Friday and Saturday night spot by heading out to New York. But if we do well with the Sunday crowd, I'm sure we can get back on top. Everybody in?"

The guys nodded and took their places at their instruments. The band played a laid-back set similar to what they'd done at Vivian's café back in New York. It seemed to go pretty well. It only got awkward after the show.

Puck decided it wouldn't hurt to introduce his high school friends to his bandmates. Maybe that was a bad move. Trey was blatantly flirting with Santana and Brittany—despite the presence of Matt and Mike. Eddie was trying to rein Trey in, but he seemed to be starting at Santana just as much as Trey. Quinn didn't have Finn by her side, and she felt obligated to say something, anything to Josh.

"Nice show. It's nice to be able to attend without breaking any laws," she said, referring to their illegal entries into their shows at The Tavern.

"Thanks. Glad you could make it. Sorry your boyfriend couldn't be here."

"Yes, well…we're on a break right now," Quinn admitted.

At first, this was music to Josh's ears. But he could see that Quinn was pretty down. And he'd played his songs that were all about her, but she didn't seem to notice. It seemed clear that Josh shouldn't attempt to cross the friendship line. "So, we can be in the same room and stuff now, huh? That's a pretty big change," Josh said lamely.

Quinn smiled weakly. "It's still a little strange, I think. But I do want to try to be friends. If you're still interested in friendship, that is."

Josh took a step backwards. "Sure. I'm here, behind the friendship line. Let's make an effort to be friends—since we never really were friends. Deal?"

"Deal," Quinn smiled.

"And hey, the manager asked if we want to play tomorrow afternoon—at 1pm instead of noon. Would you like to come by? I promise, we'll play some different songs so you won't get too bored…"

"Um…sure. I can stop by after church."

"Invite your friends," Josh nodded toward Brittany and Santana. "As long as they don't mind the way Trey and Eddie are falling all over themselves to talk to them. Though I wouldn't blame them if they want to stay away."

Quinn laughed. A real laugh.

Josh was elated.

Quinn was surprised…but pleasantly. "I'll ask them," she said, "but I think their boyfriends might be more upset than they are. They seem to be enjoying the attention."

"Maybe I better call them off. We have to practice anyway…especially since I just told you we'd play a different set! See you tomorrow, Quinn." Josh jogged off to corral Trey and Eddie.

Quinn smiled and shook her head. Being friends with Josh just might work.

…

By the time Puck finished his show at the CoffeeHouse, Rachel had already been rehearsing _Evita_ for over five hours. Their director, Carol, held them over late, but she was very nice about it. She was just a perfectionist, which Rachel could appreciate. They all had time for a quick lunch before returning to the stage.

Carol praised Rachel's renditions of _Don't Cry for Me Argentina_ and _You Must Love Me_. She couldn't wait to tell Noah, her dads, and Jesse.

This—so near to what life would be like as a star on Broadway—made Rachel feel so at home.

She was loving it. And this time next year, she planned to be back in New York.

…

With no Finn to keep an eye on (for Quinn's sake) and two shows for the band the next day, Puck had time to head over to Josh's to practice. And of course, Josh wanted a new song in the mix for their second CoffeeHouse show.

"Guys, they have a piano we didn't even take advantage of really. I know without Rachel we can't do _Percussion Gun_," started Josh. He was interrupted by Trey's disappointed cry of "Aw, man!" Josh continued, "But we can do songs that need one guitar and a piano with Puckerman on the keys. I think we should add one more song to the mix—just one."

"Well, I'll see if I can learn it in time. Because knowing you, it'll be some obscure thing I don't already know."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Josh handed him the music to _Inside These Lines_. "While the original meaning is different, I'm interpreting it about me and Quinn-,"

"Of course you are," Puck rolled his eyes.

"Yes, about me and Quinn and navigating our way through relationships, friendships. Whatever, you don't need to know the meaning, just the notes."

"Yeah, I could've told you that," Puck muttered.

"What's that?" Josh asked.

"Basically," Puck said loudly, "I don't really give a shit about the meaning. If it's a good song and it's easy to learn, I won't have a problem playing it."

"Well, break out the keyboard and let's do it."

Puck realized he had the upper hand—again. Awesome. "Since I have to play piano on this new song—which I'll probably have to practice at home to be ready in time for tomorrow afternoon—I want another solo in exchange. I don't need to play it at our next show, but definitely at our first show we have when Rachel's back." Puck finished with a sly smile.

"Fine."

"Fine."

Trey looked at Eddie. They were thinking the same thing. This was gonna be a long day.

…

**A.N.** Part 2 will be up as soon as possible, using the same playlist links (so the current playlist and album have 'spoilers' for Part 2). Oh, and I should say there is a Chapter 6 of this story as well—I just have to write it.

**Disclaimer:** One line inspired by _Covert Affairs_ on USA.


	6. Summer Fun? Part 2

**Ch. 5 Summer Fun? Part 2.**

**A.N.** Part 2 of the chapter now. (Sorry for the delay and breaking up this chapter! Thanks for your reviews!)

Links are for parts 1 and 2 of chapter 5. See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=4LtEumBeHFU

and playlist: /view_play_list?p=FE5FBDDF210D9BC9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.

…

As the guys finished their practice, Josh actually apologized. "Sorry about my attitude today, guys. I guess seeing Quinn put me in a bad mood."

"Yeah, I guess the same thing goes for me," Puck said.

"What? Why would seeing Quinn put _you _in a bad mood?" Josh asked. Trey and Eddie took their cue to leave the two guys alone.

"Well, it started last night when she called me. She reminded me that we're connected—like forever—because of our daughter."

"Yeah?" Josh thought Puck was stating the obvious. "And?"

"And it got me thinking about this whole future Rachel already seems to have planned out for us. You know, running off to New York after we graduate. Hell, that's what all you guys talk about."

"I thought you were on board for that too."

"I was…I am…It's just…"

"Look, you don't have to tell me your reasons if you don't want to, but why don't you just tell Rachel?"

"You know, man, I don't wanna make her cry or worry about it when I don't even know yet."

"Rachel seems like a pretty strong person. I think she can handle it," Josh said sagely.

"Yeah, she is strong. More than you know."

"So tell her. What's holding you back?"

"From telling her or from going to New York?"

"Both I guess," Josh shrugged.

"Well, nothing is stopping me from telling her any more now that you've reminded me I'm dating one tough chick," Puck smirked.

"Glad to help."

"Yeah... And what's stopping me from going to New York…it's mostly dumb shit. But the one that's not so dumb is my daughter. I'd be really far away from her."

"That's a pretty good reason, I guess. But how often do you see her? I thought Quinn told me you got like, one holiday a year."

"That was the original agreement, but the Harris' have pretty much let us see her whenever we want. This year that's been about four times."

"Four times a year? That would still be easy to do from New York. Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break, summer break. And within those you could probably see her even more."

"Yeah, that's true," Puck nodded. "But I started thinking about it, and these next four or five years are gonna be the ones where Quinn and I are gonna get the most access to Dizzy. She's gonna be having all of these like 'first moments' and stuff. And while she's too young to ask questions like—Why do I look more like _Mr. Noah_ and _Miss Quinn_ than 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'—that's when we can see her the most. I think after she turns four or five, the Harris' are gonna restrict us more."

"So what you're saying is that you're thinking of staying in Ohio for college so you'll be close to your daughter, but after that, you'd go to New York for Rachel?"

"Yeah, pretty much. That's assuming she won't dump my sorry ass before then."

"Good point."

"Fuck you," Puck flipped Josh the middle finger.

Josh laughed. "Just kidding. But hey, do you think it'd be cool if I call Rachel?"

"What? Already planning for when she'll break up with me?"

"No," Josh rolled his eyes. "I was thinking about asking her for some advice about the whole Quinn situation."

Puck didn't think there really was a situation anymore, but he shrugged and said, "Knock yourself out. Just don't hit on her."

"I'll do my best."

Puck flipped him off again before backing up his gear to head home. He figured he'd wait to talk to Rachel tonight about his concerns about making firm plans to move to New York.

…

The girls were at dinner after a long day of rehearsals for the individual showcases. Rachel had gone to the ladies' room and asked if she could leave her purse at the table. When Rachel's bag started ringing, Jen answered the phone. "Rachel's phone."

"Yeah, is Rachel there?"

"Is this Noah?" Jen asked.

"No, it's—"

"Jesse?" Jen guessed with a grin.

"No," he sighed. "This is Josh. I can call back." He was in no mood to deal with giggling high schoolers. He wasn't sure if calling Rachel was such a good idea.

"You don't have to do that, she's here," Jen told him. She motioned for Rachel, who was returning to the table. "Another man for you, Rachel. You know a Josh?"

Rachel nodded and reached for her phone.

"He sounds hot," Jen told Lilli and Alexa.

So of course, the girls teased Rachel about her man-magnet status once more.

"I'm sorry about that, Josh. I am surprised to hear from you. Is something wrong? It's not Noah, is it?"

"No, and don't worry, he gave me permission to call you."

"I wouldn't be worried about that. How silly," Rachel said.

"Whatever you say. I think he gets more jealous than you realize."

"Oh, well thank you for your impression on the subject. I assume that's not why you called…"

"You assume correctly," Josh smirked. "I'm calling for your advice. I found out that Quinn and Finn are on some kind of break. We agreed to try to be friends, but I wonder if that's really what Quinn wants. Like maybe this is some test, and she wants me to make a move. I figured you'd have some insider knowledge about Quinn…"

"Oh, Josh, I'm terribly sorry. I'm rather selfish, so because I've been busy at camp I haven't really checked in with Quinn. Having friends is kind of new to me—especially being friends with Quinn," Rachel explained.

"That makes sense given the whole tie to Puckerman, now that I think about it. But back when I first met Quinn you two seemed like best friends or something."

"Yes, well, there's more than the issue of Quinn and Noah's baby that caused…our unusual friendship status."

Jen, Lilli, and Alexa overheard this tidbit and looked at each other with wide eyes. They couldn't wait to ask Rachel about this!

Josh realized that Rachel wasn't going to be able to offer a magic solution to his problem. "I see, well, I'm sorry to bother you then. It sounds like you're in the middle of something."

"Oh, it's no bother. I'm just finishing dinner with some girlfriends at Broadway Camp. We're waiting for the checks. And while I don't have direct insight into Quinn's thoughts, from what I've heard from Noah she seems to be more interested in maintaining her relationship with Finn than ever before. I'm sorry, Josh."

"It's cool," he lied.

"I think the best thing for you will be to take what she said at face value and do your best to try to be friends. You know, there are lots of girls who would be interested in a great catch like you. I do recall that Vivian Riley seemed quite smitten."

"Here we go," Josh rolled his eyes, but a half-smile crept onto his face.

"I'll date him, sight unseen," Jen declared. "You sound adorable," she said loudly so Josh could hear her through the phone. Both Josh and Rachel ignored the intrusion.

"I think you're going to be fine, Josh," Rachel assured him. "But feel free to consider me a friend who'll give you advice whenever you like."

"Thanks, Rach. And good luck."

"You're welcome. And thank you, but good luck with what?"

Josh felt a flash of panic. He'd been referring to her impending conversation with Puckerman, but he decided that he should NOT be the one to say anything about that. "You know, Broadway Camp and all that."

"Oh, of course. Thanks so much. Goodnight and good luck to you too."

They said their goodbyes and the girls could wait no longer. "Ok, two things. One, do you have any pictures of this Josh guy? And two, what's this about Noah and some Quinn chick and a baby?" Lilli asked.

Rachel invited the girls back to her room for picture viewing and conversation. She explained a bit about the situation with Noah, Quinn, and their baby Diana Isabel. She pulled up some pictures on her laptop. The first ones she showed were of Josh and the band.

"Damn, girl, you know so many fine guys!" Jen exclaimed. "You already hooked up Lilli with Jesse, how about you do a favor for another friend?" she grinned.

"Well, Jesse is only two years older than we are. Josh is 21, almost 22. Is that too old for you?"

"Not when he looks like that," Jen confirmed.

"And you don't mind a long distance relationship?" Rachel quizzed.

"I don't. But he doesn't look like the kind of guy who could…keep it in his pants."

Rachel nodded. "You may be right, unfortunately—at least in his current state, rebounding from Quinn. But I believe while he was dating her he was faithful and they never…you know."

"Had sex?" Lilli asked bluntly, amused that Rachel couldn't speak the words.

"Yes…Well, I may have a picture of Quinn if you'd like to see…"

The smiling faces of Quinn and Noah appeared, along with their daughter on their lap between them. The girls looked at each other uncomfortably, unsure what to say. The images looking back at them were…beautiful. Rachel was gorgeous of course, but each of the girls could understand how this perfect little family could be…intimidating.

"So Quinn dated Josh, but before that, she had a baby with your boyfriend? Is that right?" Jen asked.

"That's correct. Noah wasn't my boyfriend at the time of conception, but yes," Rachel nodded uncomfortably. She wasn't sure what possessed her to share all of this personal information. But she did feel very close to these girls in a short amount of time.

"And yesterday you were saying there's a difference between your situation with Jesse and Noah's with his ex?" Alexa started. "Because they had sex and had a baby?"

"Precisely. Jesse and I never…"

"And I take it you and your boyfriend have?" Jen grinned.

"Yes, we have. But we're in a loving and respectful relationship," Rachel said defensively.

"Girl, we're not judging," Lilli said. "Hell, I'd be up on that, no love and respect necessary!"

"Lilli!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Just playin'" she laughed. "Sorta."

All the girls had a good laugh.

…

Safely back in her own room alone, Rachel prepared to call Noah to tell him all about her talk with Jesse and ask about going to the Hamptons. She was a little anxious.

Rightly so.

Everything started out fine. They talked about their days as usual. But this time, Puck had an important issue to bring up. Rachel had the events of yesterday to discuss as well. Perhaps fortunately, Puck went first.

"So, I know you're totally in love with New York, right?" he started.

"I really am! I love it here so much!" she enthused. "The only thing missing is you," she said sweetly.

"Thanks…yeah…that's what I thought…" Puck didn't really know how to tell her that he wasn't so sure about New York. But Rachel pried it out of him.

"Noah, is something wrong?"

Puck knew it was time to man-up. He just didn't know if he should go into all the details. He decided to start simply. "I don't know really what I want to do yet after high school. I feel like you have things all planned out. Josh, Eddie, and Trey are years ahead of us, and they have their plans. But I just…I don't really know…"

"Do you think you still want to be a performer, Noah?"

"Yeah, I do. There's nothing else I can imagine really liking as a career or whatever. Glee is ok and all, but when the audience claps for you…I don't know, it's kinda like they're obligated because they're parents and stuff."

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean!" Rachel exclaimed. "At home I expect the teachers, my dads, the other parents, to be polite and tell me how great I am. But when I hear it here, I really believe it. Of course, I always appreciate your compliments and honest opinions."

"Exactly. Yeah, you know I think you're awesome, and I know you think that about me too. But when we went out with the band—and especially when I got to sing lead…the feeling was…awesome. Especially because you know they don't feel any reason to be nice to you. If they hate you, they'll tell you."

"Especially in New York," Rachel added.

"Totally," Puck agreed. "So yeah, I still think that's what I wanna do."

"I know you'll be just amazing, Noah. You've grown so much—as a person and as a performer. I'm very impressed. Your singing and your playing is advancing so much. I just know we'll be great together once we finish senior year of high school and move to New York."

"About that…" Puck started hesitantly. "I've been thinking, and I just…I don't know if I can do New York. It's so…far away from everyone and everything we know." At first he didn't think he should mention how far away it was from Dizzy, but he remembered what Josh said—Rachel's strong. So he told her about his concerns, about Dizzy, everything he told Josh earlier. Rachel sat quietly, not interrupting. Her mind was racing to process everything he was saying, as well as her own response. Finally, after a brief silence, she spoke.

"You know, before we were here in New York together, I told you that New York could wait. We can always go to college in Ohio. There are performing arts programs in our home state. Broadway will still be here."

"Really? That's still ok with you?"

"Yes, all I want is for us to be happy."

Puck breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you said that. I've been stressing about that for a while."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. You should know you can tell me anything."

"I'm figuring that out."

While Puck was feeling much better, Rachel was feeling quite anxious. "Well, there's something I've been stressing about too."

"Oh yeah, you never told me about that last night," Puck said. "What's going on?"

Rachel prepared herself for what she was about to talk about—mostly because the idea of Shelby was still so upsetting to her. She actually didn't think that her boyfriend would have a problem with her next sentence.

She was wrong.

"So, when I met with Jesse last night, he told me all about the Shelby situation and why he assumed you felt compelled to assault him. I just can't believe what Shelby did, and of course Jesse's role as well is disheartening…"

Puck felt as though his brain was frozen. He needed to rewind what she just said. "Jesse? As in Jesse fuckin' St. James?" He was yelling into the phone. He was completely freaking out.

"Yes, of course! Who else? I don't understand why you're yelling!" she shouted back.

"Because when you said you were meeting Jesse, I thought you were talking about Jessie, as in short for Jessica! Not Jesse, I-have-a-girl's-name, St. James! Not your ex-boyfriend Vocal Adrenaline-spy douchebag bastard!"

"Noah! Please stop yelling!"

Puck took a deep breath. "Yeah, ok. Sorry. I just—what the fuck, Rachel?"

"What?" she whimpered. She felt tears welling in her eyes. She hated when he cursed—but especially at her.

"Ok, let me start over," Puck said as calmly as he could. "_Why_ did you meet with _Jesse St. James_?"

As she spoke, she started sobbing. She couldn't control it. "I…ran into him…at the café. He'd told me after you beat him up at the beginning of the summer that he would tell me the whole story later…We'd never talked since then, and we were both in the city, so I agreed to meet him." She sniffled and looked around for a tissue. "And I asked you about it, and I thought you knew who I was talking about."

"Shit. Don't cry, Rachel," Puck told her gently.

"I can't help it!" she cried.

"Shit."

"That's not helping," she sobbed. "You know I hate when you curse. It just upsets me more."

"Sorry." Puck was silent as he replayed their conversation. It sucked. A few moments ago, they had a great moment—where Rachel was totally cool with him basically fucking up her life's dream—or at least delaying it because he had a daughter with another girl and he was too big of a pussy to move to New York right away. She took it in stride, putting him first. And he was yelling at her for a misunderstanding that was probably his own fault for not paying attention when she talks.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. I shouldn't yell at you. You haven't done anything wrong. I'm just…an asshole…as usual."

She took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. "I'm sorry. I think I can talk now. No, you're not a…jerk. I suppose I should have found it strange that you were so cavalier about me meeting Jesse."

"Yeah, if I knew what _cava-whatever_ meant, I'm sure I'd agree with you."

Rachel let out a watery giggle. "I know for a fact that you know what _cavalier_ means, Noah Puckerman."

"But I got you to laugh, didn't I?" he asked hopefully.

"That you did," she affirmed. "There's one more issue I think led to this debacle. I'm afraid that much of the time, you don't actually listen to me when I talk. Shall we use this incident as a reminder for you to pay attention to what I say?"

"Let's not get crazy here," Puck said. "A guy's gotta keep his sanity."

"No-ah," she chided in whiny sing-song.

"Kidding. You're right. And sorry again about the yelling. I just really hate that guy. He's so shady."

"You really think so? I've always found him to be rather honest—aside from the whole spying for Shelby thing—which he did come clean about later."

"Yeah, after I called him on it," Puck grumbled.

"True," Rachel said thoughtfully. Then she sighed. "Well, this makes the second part of my intended conversation completely pointless."

"Why? What were you going to say?" Puck asked suspiciously. "You want to hang out with him _again_?"

"Don't yell, please," she repeated calmly. But she was afraid if he started shouting, then she would start crying again. "Before I knew that you still felt such animosity toward him, yes, I was going to ask if you'd be comfortable with my new friend Lilli and I joining Jesse at his family's home in the Hamptons. Lilli was there at the café when I ran into Jesse, and she's interested in him…and anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll just tell them that I can't go."

"So now I'm the bad guy?" Puck asked sourly.

"That's one way to look at it, I suppose," Rachel admitted. "But I will respect your wishes. It's only sailing in the Hamptons," she said—a little too wistfully. "Lilli and the girls and I will just spend our free day on Wednesday together in Manhattan instead of making an overnight trip."

"Good," Puck grunted. He was a bit annoyed that Rachel even thought for a moment that he'd be fine with that arrangement.

Rachel was a bit annoyed that he didn't trust her enough to let her have a nice day off, and she couldn't help speaking up. "So, is this because you don't trust me to stay overnight with Jesse St. James, even when there is a girl going with me and we'll be with his family?"

Puck did _not_ want to have this conversation, but he covered the phone so Rachel didn't hear him mumble "fuck". "It's not that I don't trust _you_; I don't trust _him_. The guy told me he thought you two were destined to be together and shit. He said that once you move to New York for good, he's gonna land you."

"What? _Land_ me?"

"Well, he didn't say that exactly, but he basically said that I'll do something stupid, and that's probably true, and then you'll break up with me. Then because you and he would both be leads on Broadway or some dumb shit, he'd scoop you up."

"I had no idea," Rachel said slowly, dumfounded by his words.

"Yeah, well, basically anything the guy says to you now is probably all part of some master plan to get in your pants—even if that's a year from now."

"That shows…initiative..." she said, almost in awe.

"You've gotta be kidding me. You're totally falling for his bullshit, aren't you? Shit." Puck ran a hand through his hair—it was growing back, but right now he wished he had his Mohawk.

Rachel shook off the initial fascination she felt by the idea that someone could have such long-term designs for her after dating for less than half the time she and Noah had. "No, of course I'm not," she defended. "It's just very surprising, that's all. Like I said, I will decline his invitation. And I have no intention of seeing him in any capacity now that I know how much it upsets you."

Puck blew out a breath. "I can handle it. I'm not worried. He's a little douche, and I'm awesome."

"I concur," Rachel smiled. "You are exceptionally awesome."

"And don't you forget it," he joked.

"I could never."

…

Puck and Rachel got through their rocky phone call mostly unscathed. When Puck apologized again, Rachel reassured him that it was normal for couples to argue.

"While I do hate yelling and think we could do without that, I am glad that we communicate openly rather than suppressing our feelings. That's what real couples do, you know? Fight it out, work it out, and keep going strong."

Puck was glad Rachel knew what to do. He was relieved when she said that everything was going to be fine with such certainty.

Rachel was relieved to have weathered that unexpected storm, but sadness tugged on her heart. Waiting one year to start a life together in New York had been one thing…waiting five years seemed so long.

She resolved to cheer up and to enjoy every minute she had in New York. Sometimes a person has to make sacrifices for what she loves. Rachel couldn't possibly ask her boyfriend to sacrifice seeing his daughter when it clearly upset him so much—he hadn't wanted to give her up in the first place. And while Rachel believed that adoption was the best decision, she knew she had no way of understanding what Noah (or Quinn for that matter) were going through knowing that there was a little piece of them being raised by someone else. She only knew what it was like from the other side…and it was certainly not ideal. Rachel had survived worse—she could certainly survive staying in Ohio a little longer than she had planned in order to find happiness together with Noah.

She could.

She would.

…

Sunday Rachel threw herself into her rehearsals and the role of Evita. Even Blake and Rob noticed and complimented her on her performance. During their lunch break, Rachel broke the bad news to Lilli—that she was mistaken about her boyfriend's perspective on the Jesse situation, and she had to decline the invitation to the Hamptons. Lilli assured Rachel that she understood her reasons, but she was clearly disappointed.

Rachel was disappointed too.

…

Around the same time, Puck was preparing for their second all-ages show in Lima—a repeat performance at the CoffeeHouse, with a new set list. He had practiced the piano part for Josh's new song over and over last night—surprising his mother. He could tell she was shocked that he was playing piano at home alone on a Saturday night, but she must have been too scared to break the spell to say anything to him about it. Puck had learned the song fairly easily, and he had ended up messing around on the piano a bit more. Maybe the song he'd play when Rachel returned would feature him on piano instead of guitar. _Just the Way You Are_ on piano went over really well. He'd have to make a good choice—a perfect choice.

Puck saw Quinn at a table near the stage. He didn't see any other familiar faces. Fortunately, there was a pretty reasonable crowd again, so the guys were ready to try to put on another good show. They played some well-known songs before Josh cued Puck to head to the piano for _Inside These Lines_.

"I know most of you here today won't know this song, but I'm dedicating it to my friend, sitting here in the front row," Josh said into the mic before beginning.

Quinn blushed and gave a small smile.

"_Who's the one I see_

_Across the table?_

_Eyes that always seem _

_So familiar._

_We sit alone so comfortably_

_In the silence_."

Josh walked toward Quinn, reaching out without actually touching her.

"_If I touch you_

_Would you be surprised?_

_Did we drift out_

_Closer to a compromise?_"

He noticed she was surprised by his gesture. He moved back toward the band for the chorus.

"_Have we lost what we had_

_Inside these lines_

_Inside these lines?_

_How could we watch it stay the same_

_All this time_

_And just be fine?_

_It's ok to see_

_Where we are and where we should be._

_But are we gonna find ourselves_

_Inside these lines, inside these lines?_"

He stepped toward her again.

"_Your skin is next to mine_

_But I can't feel you._

_We've learned to pass the time_

_In the same room._

_So remind me_

_Of how the world stood still._

_We were shining_

_Living just to taste the thrill_."

As he sang the chorus, he had a feeling that Quinn was puzzled. It's true that this song was intended to refer to a married couple (or a long-time couple). He might have to explain to her how he was referring to the 'lines of friendship' instead.

"_Circling the meaning_

_With the lines we've drawn, we're not believing_

_Circling the meaning_

_With the lines we've drawn, we're not believing_.

Quinn wasn't sure what to think. In some ways, the song reminded her more of her situation with Finn than it did her attempted friendship with Josh. She and Finn were the couple who had been together for so long so that it wasn't easy to remember the excitement of when they first fell in love.

As Josh sang the final chorus, he hoped she understood that it seemed like they'd lost some of their spark by trying to be friends, but that it was ok—things could get better.

"_Have we lost what we had_

_Inside these lines, inside these lines?_

_How could we watch it stay the same_

_All this time_

_And just be fine?_

_It's ok to see_

_Where we are and where we should be._

_But are we gonna find ourselves_

_Inside these lines, inside these lines_."

After they finished their complete set, Josh asked if Quinn wanted to hang out at the café and talk.

She agreed.

…

The guys let Josh off the hook and loaded the instruments into Trey's van without him. They had another show that night at the bar, so they didn't have to worry about unloading. Puck went home to chill between shows. He kept checking the time, but he knew Rachel would be in rehearsal until 6 or 7 that night, so he had a while.

…

After her rehearsal, Rachel called Jesse to break the bad news.

"I can't say that I'm really surprised," he said smugly. "I believe I told you he'd say no. Is that your recollection too?" he goaded her.

"Yes," she sighed. "You were right. I was wrong. Congratulations. No sailing for me."

"We both lose," Jesse said regretfully.

"It's true. But do enjoy yourself, Jesse. I'm sorry you and Lilli won't have this opportunity to get to know each other better. However, I'm sure I can be the conduit for you to exchange contact information if you like."

"Sure, Rachel, thanks. Enjoy the rest of your camp and break a leg at your shows," he told her warmly.

"Thank you, Jesse. I appreciate that. Good luck this semester at NYU as well."

Her heart hurt a little as she wished Jesse well and said goodbye. Not because she wouldn't see him, but because he was about to start the performing arts program at NYU as a freshman in the fall. That's where she wanted to be one year from now—but that dream would be on hold.

…

Puck ended up playing around on the piano while he waited for Rachel's rehearsal to end, but he got caught up and had to head out to the band's Sunday night show at The Tavern without calling her. He knew he'd call her after the show though, so it was no big deal. He was a bit surprised by their bassist.

"Eddie! What's with the suit, man?" Puck asked. "Doesn't seem to work with that new beard of yours."

Eddie chuckled. "Well, I had to come straight from Mass, so I'm in a suit. You mean you don't like the beard? Don't I look distinguished?" Eddie stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Hardly," said Trey. "You look more like a bum who stole a suit!"

Eddie rolled his eyes. "We'll see who has better luck with the ladies after the show—you or me."

"You're on!" Trey exclaimed. "I'm looking particularly fly tonight, so prepare to lose."

Puck and Josh exchanged amused glances at their antics, and Josh managed to get the guys back in line and ready for their first show back at their usual venue since the beginning of the summer. After they finished up, Eddie suggested they have their bartender friend Hank to take a picture. "To commemorate our return to The Tavern, document my awesome beard, and I figure Rachel's still on her photo kick. Am I right?"

"You're right about the Rachel part," Puck said. "The jury's still out on the beard."

"Stop hatin'. You know I make this look good," joked Eddie.

Puck shook his head. "Alright, let's get this picture over with. I've gotta get home, talk to my girl, and hit the sack—early football practice tomorrow."

"Tell Rachel we said 'hi'," Trey told Puck.

"Will do."

He did.

…

Monday at Cheerios practice, Quinn was working harder than ever, trying to focus solely on being made head cheerleader. After practice, she was distracted.

"Hey, Quinn," said Finn as he fell in step next to her.

"Finn! Does this mean our break is over?" she asked hopefully.

He shook his head and looked confused. "No, sorry. I was just saying 'hi'. I don't think one week was enough time."

"Oh," she said resignedly as she walked off the field.

She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. A kernel of a plan was forming in her mind. Instead of going to the locker room, she went to see if there was anyone in the A/V room.

She was in luck.

…

Tuesday was a typical day for Puck—wake up and get to football practice, but it was a big day for Rachel. He knew it was her Showcase or whatever—she'd talked his ear off about it the night before. It was like their pre-show for everyone at camp before the Family Finale thing he'd be going to over the weekend. She was pretty confident, but she was also nervous, which was an interesting combination but totally Rachel. From the Showcase, they'd pick the top acts for the Family show. Puck knew Rachel would kill it and she'd be in every number in the Finale if the directors didn't have to be somewhat fair. And that's what he told Rachel (several times) on the phone the night before. But even though he knew that she'd kick ass, he couldn't help but wonder how everything was going, and he was surprisingly looking forward to just talking to her and listening to her inevitable recitation of every little detail.

…

Sue Sylvester was suspicious when her top choice for head Cheerio didn't head to the locker room after practice. Instead, she watched as Quinn Fabray trotted up the bleachers and into the announcer's booth. Curious, and concerned that Christ Crusaders were infiltrating the school and holding secret meetings on school grounds without permission, Sue crept up the bleachers to investigate and catch any wrong-doers in the act.

After football practice, Finn looked around for Quinn, but he didn't see her. He shook his head and started to leave the field when he noticed two of the kids from the A/V club sitting at the announcer's table. One of them spoke into the microphone, "Finn Hudson, remain on the field."

"What?" Finn asked. He looked at Puck, who just shrugged.

"No idea, man," Puck said. He truly had no clue. "I guess I'll see ya later."

Finn nodded and walked back to the 50 yard line. "What's going on guys?" he asked the A/V nerds—because he couldn't remember their names—at all.

They just shook their heads and cued some music. That's when Finn saw Quinn walking down the bleachers with a microphone.

She was serenading him. Holy crap.

"_One more time  
sitting in a silent stare  
and I'm the only one that's here._

Let's just get it all out  
gimme every single word  
even if it's gonna hurt…"

Finn wasn't sure he could believe his eyes. Or his ears. She was like an angel. But a sad one. The chorus was…wow.

"_So If you wanna stay, just stay.  
But If you wanna go, if you wanna go, just go.  
So If you wanna stay, just stay.  
But If you wanna go if you wanna go, just go  
Go far away  
Go far away_."

Quinn meant her words. She just wanted to know. Not talking was killing her. She didn't want to be empty anymore.

"_So let's just fight.  
Maybe you could find some tears,  
and I could feel something real again_."

Finn was mesmerized by her voice, her words, her eyes. Especially her eyes. But he didn't know what to think.

"_You and I  
know we need to figure this out.  
Tell me, is it too late now?_"

He found himself shaking his head 'no'.

Quinn didn't know if he was saying 'no, it's not too late' or 'no, it IS too late.' She was struggling to continue, but this song meant so much to her.

"_We've built too much just to stand and watch it fall apart.  
It hurts too much just to stay the way we are_." 

The expression on his face was so blank—Quinn had no idea what to make of it. But she had to get through the song.

"_So If you wanna stay, just stay.  
But If you wanna go, if you wanna go, just go  
Go far away  
Go far away_…"

She couldn't bear it any longer. A single tear ran down her cheek before she dropped the microphone and ran off the field.

Finn stared at her, frozen in place.

"Well, don't just stand there, mouth breather," Sue yelled from the bleachers. "Go after her!"

"Thanks, Coach," Finn called as he broke out into a sprint.

"Idiot," she muttered with a grimace.

…

Finn made it to the doors of the girls' locker room, but Quinn was nowhere to be found. He even cracked the door, not to look, just to yell her name.

No answer.

He trudged to the boys' locker room. Puck was there waiting for him.

"So what was that all about?"

Finn told him. But he started talking out loud about how things started from the beginning.

"So let me get this straight…" Puck shook his head at Finn. "You're saying that when you said you two needed a break, she said she chooses you? I think you left that part out the first time."

"I did?" Finn scratched his head. "Well, I thought the important part was that she was talking to Josh behind my back."

"Yeah, that's important. But the fact that she basically said screw him right away, that she wants to be with you, I think that's the key. So she sang a song to you then ran off?"

Finn nodded. "I tried to catch up to her, but she was gone. What should I do?"

Puck couldn't help but laugh. "It's not like she disappeared off the face of the Earth."

Finn furrowed his brows in confusion.

"You know where she lives! You know her number! Go see her, call her, whatever!" Puck explained animatedly.

"Right! Thanks, Puck!" Finn ran out the door.

"Idiot," Puck muttered with a grin.

…

As expected, Rachel wowed them with her songs at the Camp Showcase. All the students dressed up in formal wear—not costumes—and performed selected songs for the other campers and the directors of all the small groups. While she was singing, Rachel felt a surge of confidence and joy. And the praise she received afterward just heightened her post-performance glow.

They held a little party in the auditoriumtheater, with Rachel's director Carol acting as photographer, taking pictures of all of the campers. Rachel found herself posing with people she'd barely met. Thankfully, she started running into familiar faces again when Blake came by to congratulate her. "How about a picture?" he asked, waving his camera.

"Of course!" Rachel beamed.

Blake held out his camera and tried to aim while kissing her on the cheek. Rachel felt a second pair of lips on her other cheek, but before she could look, the camera flashed and the picture was taken.

"Congratulations on a wonderful show, Rachel," Jesse said.

"Jesse! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. She was a little taken aback that he was so forward to jump into someone else's picture and kiss her on the cheek. But after Noah's warning, she decided that such a move made sense. "I thought you would be sailing in the Hamptons right about now."

"I would have been, but I couldn't stay away. I had to see you perform. Since you couldn't come out for a visit, I thought it would be nice to catch your showcase. I hope that's ok."

"Of course. Thank you for coming out of your way," Rachel smiled politely.

"So, you still have that break tomorrow, right? Maybe I could hang out with you and your friends in the city before I head back?"

"That sounds lovely. Unfortunately, I should decline. Since I declined your invitation to the Hamptons out of respect for Noah, I should probably do the same again." Rachel now knew she should be cautious.

Jesse nodded with a sad smile. "Once again, I can't say that I'm surprised. In fact, I was more surprised that there was a remote possibility that your boyfriend didn't hate me and that you'd be joining me. However, in this case I was hoping that because it would be a group of friends touring the city, it would not be against the relationship rules."

"It's not against the rules," she corrected. "It's just…being respectful of his…concerns."

Jesse raised one eyebrow. "Whatever you say... Please just be careful about his possessive tendencies." He looked into her eyes and gripped her shoulders lightly. "Promise me that, Rachel."

"I promise," she nodded solemnly. "I do." She searched his face. His eyes seemed full of sincerity and concern. Still, she gently removed his hands from her shoulders.

Their moment was interrupted by the arrival of Lilli, Jen, and Alexa. Of course, the girls thought Jesse should stay and hang out with them.

Rachel was in no position to argue. She decided that if Jesse made her uncomfortable in any way, she could always leave the group and retire to her hotel room. Surely Noah couldn't fault her in this situation.

Right?

…


	7. Promise of a New Day Part 1

**Promise of a New Day (Part 1)**

**A.N.** Thanks to everyone and I apologize for the delay again. Shouts to **fresch** and **BittyAB18** for their reviews that made me realize I'd need to add a bit more explanation than what I had originally intended for some aspects of what happens between our primary couple (I think you'll recognize some things, ladies)—and I hope you all approve.

Links are for the full chapter (so they will 'spoil' the parts not posted, but I'm ok with that if you are). See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=lx6F70oEV2g

and playlist: /view_play_list?p=9AC6F4C2D7366448

But if you don't want to be spoiled, only watch the first 5 pictures in the slideshow and listen to the following songs on youtube:

_Dream Catch Me_ by Newton Falkner: /watch?v=SA8Ew7s0yH0

_I'm in Love with You_ by Joy Williams: /watch?v=saG3yNfxd6E

_Brave_ by Gavin Mikhail: /watch?v=vn0s8b-9BU

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.

…

Rachel had a bit of a dilemma: to tell her boyfriend that Jesse showed up to watch her perform, then the girls practically demanded he stay and hang out with them that evening and the next day…or not to mention it. Clearly, Noah was a bit…excitable…about the subject of Jesse…even when the situation was obviously harmless. She decided that she'd been honest with him this entire time, so she would continue to be—but she might leave out a few unnecessary details—like the innocuous kiss on the cheek. She wanted to be honest but she wasn't going to miss hanging out with her friends in the city tomorrow, even if that group of friends included Jesse. Besides, Rachel knew that she needed to stand up for herself a bit and make it clear that she could make her own decisions. She was just a little nervous about how that would go over…she most certainly didn't want to lose Noah over this silly business with Jesse, but she was 95% certain that it wouldn't come to that.

She was right.

That night after Jesse went back to his apartment in the city, promising to meet up with the Broadway Gang the next morning, Rachel called Noah.

"Hey, babe," he answered warmly. "I've been waiting to hear from you. How'd it go? You killed it, didn't ya?" He wasn't putting on an act—he seriously had been looking forward to hearing about it. He was ready for them to get back to normal—without the weird tension because of that fuckface Jesse.

So of course, everything was fine while Rachel was animatedly describing the show and how well she did and what a good time she and her friends had after the showcase. The tension came back when she mentioned that one tiny detail…

"I should tell you that Jesse _St. James, the boy_, attended the show. _I_ didn't invite him, but the camp shows are public knowledge and he wanted to see me perform."

Puck grunted in acknowledgement that he'd heard her, but he wasn't sure exactly what to say without being a dick. He decided (for once) to try that rule 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all', to see how that would work. He took a swig of soda for good measure—to really make sure he wouldn't say something to fuck things up.

Rachel continued. "And since we have a free day tomorrow, _the girls_ asked Jesse if he'll join us hanging out in the city. I just want to be honest with you, but I don't think there is any reason why I shouldn't join them." She stated her case plainly and firmly. She involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for the response.

Puck choked on his soda. The spit-take he did might have been funny—if he'd been watching Finn do it. But since it was him and since it was about Rachel and that asshat Jesse, it wasn't fucking funny at all.

Rachel's eyes flew open wide. "Noah! Are you ok?"

Puck got a hold of himself and after he finished coughing, he answered. "Yeah, s'nothin'. Sorry. Just swallowed my Coke wrong."

"I'm sorry to hear that…So as I was saying, tomorrow we'll be taking our only day to do some fun tourist activities related to theater and the arts. I expect the group will include Alexa, Jen, Lilli, Rob, Blake, and Jesse. And me of course. It should be nice to have the day off while the directors evaluate our performances and prepare the schedule for the Family Finale. You're still attending, right?"

"Uh-huh," he affirmed.

"Don't you have anything more to say, Noah?" Rachel asked, surprise and some annoyance reflected in her tone. "It's hard to converse to someone who is only grunting his responses."

"Well, I choked too," Puck said flippantly.

"Choking does _not_ count," Rachel huffed. "If you're upset, we need to talk it out. Not that it will change my course of action in this matter, but we should still talk."

"Why should I bother talking about it if you already know how I feel but don't give a shit?" he griped.

"Noah! I do not appreciate you cursing at me!"

"I'm not cursing _at_ you," he started to explain. But he could envision Rachel's 'angry face' and her little hands on her little hips. He knew she'd say it was the same thing and she still didn't appreciate it. So he switched gears. "I'm sorry. I forget sometimes. I don't mean to upset you."

"Thank you," she said more calmly. "I do appreciate that."

"Yeah, thanks. I just…I don't see the point. I don't trust Jesse, but I do trust you. I'm not gonna stop you from doing your theater tour or whatever, and it sounds like you wouldn't let me stop you anyway."

"I wouldn't," she said more assuredly than she felt.

"Right, so that's it. Done. Good talk."

"Noah," she sighed. "We have to determine where your underlying feelings of insecurity about our relationship originate and how to eradicate them."

Shit, what the hell is she talking about now, he wondered. "What?"

Rachel realized she needed to spell this out. "I have come to believe that your possessiveness has reached a borderline of what would be considered appropriate for our relationship. I think this comes from some fears you must have about me or us or both. I had hoped that me professing my love for you and selflessly vowing to postpone my plans for New York to stay with you in Ohio for college—that would show you how much you mean to me and how much faith I'm putting in our relationship."

"Fuck," he muttered, momentarily forgetting that he was trying not to swear during this conversation. "Sorry," he said right away. "About saying 'fuck', and the other stuff too. I'm not trying to be an ass, it just comes naturally," he joked lamely.

"Oh, Noah," Rachel sighed sweetly. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad; I'm trying to improve our relationship. You're not…an ass. And I love you, you big jerk!" she exclaimed emotionally.

"I love you too, baby. You're…amazing. I don't know what a fuck-up like me did to deserve you," he pondered aloud.

"Don't talk like that! We deserve each other! We're perfect!" she declared. "Right?" she asked anxiously, needing to hear validation that he agreed.

"Right," he nodded. "You know you're right."

She nodded into the phone. "I usually am," she beamed. "And I have an idea."

Puck raised his eyebrow, but listened appreciatively to Rachel's plan. Basically, she had this whole scheme for him to arrive in New York a day before the finale so that the two of them could spend the night together in her hotel room without her disapproving dads. She even had a different flight in mind that he would pretend to take—she researched all the flight times and everything. Which shouldn't have surprised him at all—it's Rachel. And of course, Rachel assumed that once Puck arrived with no hotel room (since the combination of his own hotel room and another plane ticket to New York would be insanely expensive), he'd get to stay in her room on a cot—or maybe in a room with her dads (which was a scary prospect). But either way, it would only be for one night before they all flew back to Ohio together.

"That's one heck of an evil plan, Rach," he chuckled. "And I approve."

"So you'll do it?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, of course. How could I miss spending an extra day alone with you in New York? I can't fuckin' wait for this weekend."

"I can't wait either," she sighed dreamily.

…

While Rachel and Puck were working through their issues, Finn had been busy too. When he left the locker room after getting Puck's advice to go after Quinn, he realized he needed to figure out what to say first. And that…was easier said than done. Finn needed to clear his head and really like…have a plan. He decided to go where he always went when he's stressed—the bowling alley.

Usually he could easily let his mind go blank while watching the bowling ball crash into the pins, but this time was different. All he could think about was Quinn. All he could see was Quinn. He could still hear her singing, "If you wanna stay, just say," with her eyes—those incredible eyes—looking at him full of…questions…and…love.

It hit him like a wave. He had answers.

Finn nearly walked out of the bowling alley without returning the rented bowling shoes. He apologized to the dude behind the counter, quickly exchanged his shoes, and hustled out of there.

He had the beginnings of an idea…a great one.

…

Wednesday was Rachel's big day out exploring the city with her new friends and Jesse—all with the full knowledge of her wonderful boyfriend—and she couldn't help telling everyone in their little gang how understanding Noah was and how productive their talk was the night before. She was on such a high, she didn't notice the eye-rolls of the others around her.

Lilli elbowed Jesse with a smirk, "Is she always like this?"

"I wouldn't really know," Jesse said, with a trace of sadness. "We broke up over a year ago and haven't really been in touch, until recently, that is."

"You still like her," Lilli stated—it wasn't a question.

Jesse raised his eyebrow. "I _like_ Rachel, yes, of course. But I'm interested in maintaining her friendship," he said honestly. Then he camouflaged his intentions. "It is mutually beneficial to keep ties with like-minded individuals who will inevitably end up in the same business," he finished authoritatively.

"Mmm-hmm," Lilli gave a long, skeptical look and affirmation, followed by a sly smile. "I guess following that logic, you and I should become better acquainted."

"I couldn't agree more," he grinned at her.

The group trekked through the Theater District, taking pictures along the way. As they stopped for lunch, Jesse couldn't help but sit between Rachel and Lilli.

And Rachel couldn't help but continue talking about Noah. When she reached the part about staying in Ohio for college, there were some audible gasps, followed by uncomfortable silence at the table.

"What?" Rachel asked with a frown.

Jesse looked around and spoke up. He did know her the best, after all. And he wasn't afraid of speaking his mind. "I would say that you cannot be serious, but unfortunately, I know you are serious."

"Completely serious," she nodded solemnly.

"Damn, girl," Lilli said. "I know you're crazy about this guy, but are you _that_ nuts?"

Rachel crossed her arms but refused to dignify that with a response.

Alexa said hesitantly, "It's just that…you're still in high school. That's a really big decision to make about your future on a relationship that…well, it's high school," she finished ineloquently. But everyone nodded. They knew what she meant.

Rachel knew too.

"I understand your concerns, and I thank you for your candor," she said stiffly. "But I believe in my future with Noah just as much as I believe in my future on Broadway. I am willing to make compromises and postpone my return to New York."

After all the interjections from the others and protests from Rachel, Jesse continued. "Rachel, you know that we're all your friends here. We all want what's best for you. And you know what? Your boyfriend should want that too. Consider that when you selflessly throw away your future. Shouldn't he have at least made an effort to compromise as well?"

Rachel's jaw dropped as she was speechless for a moment. "I am most certainly _not_ 'throwing away my future'!"

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Of course, you latch on to my phrasing to find a point of argument. But in truth, you can't argue with my logic. And your boyfriend didn't offer a compromise, did he?"

"No," she shook her head quietly and looked down.

Everyone else looked around at each other uncomfortably. They did not want to spend their 'fun day' with a crying Rachel.

Jesse put his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's ok. I'm sorry I upset you. It's not like you have to figure out your future right now. We all just want the best for you, ok? Let's try to enjoy this day, shall we?"

Rachel nodded, wiped at her eyes quickly with her napkin, and smiled that kilowatt smile at the table. A smile Jesse knew well.

A show face.

"Thank you, everyone. I sincerely appreciate your concern on my behalf. I am truly touched. But I think for the sake of preserving good memories of this wonderful time, we should come up with new topics of conversation." She meant every word. She just had to maintain the smile in order to keep the tears at bay.

"Agreed," said Jen. She gave Rachel's knee a quick pat. "Let's talk about …" Jen searched her brain for a topic that would interest everyone at the table without excluding Jesse since he wasn't part of their camp or upsetting Rachel with talk about futures on Broadway. It was a rather challenging task. "Sex?" she ventured.

That earned her a napkin in the face (from Lilli), a gasp (from Rachel), and laughs all around.

…

After summer football practice, Puck would usually go home, scarf down a snack, make sure the kid didn't set the house on fire, and figure out if his mom was cooking or if the honors would be his. But today Matt asked him if he wanted to join some of the gang for a bite to eat, and after making sure that Sarah was safe at Mrs. Jenson's house, Puck joined them. He was a little surprised at the group's composition. He expected half of who he found: Matt, Mike, Brittany, and Santana. He expected but didn't see Finn. And since Finn wasn't there, he thought maybe he'd see Quinn, but he didn't. He did not expect to see Artie, Tina, Mercedes and Kurt,. But there they were, looking over the menus—all mingle-y and shit. Not that they weren't all friends—they kinda were—in that weird 'we're cool with each other in glee club but rarely hang out in non-club-related activities' kinda way. Even though glee made them all basically losers at the school, there was still a hierarchy and groups that hung out with each other more than others.

"Hey, guys," Puck greeted. "Expecting anyone else, or am I the last one?" he asked, trying to find out the deal with Finn and Quinn.

"Just us," Matt said. "I couldn't catch Finn after practice and he's not answering his phone."

"And Quinn is too busy thinking about Finn," Santana added, rolling her eyes.

Puck took the only seat left—next to Brittany and directly across from Kurt, who looked up from the menu, eyeing him with mild disdain—Kurt's usual expression. "You may also be wondering what we're doing here."

"Nope," Puck lied.

"I am," said Brittany. "This is kinda weird, right?" she whispered to Puck. He gave a slight nod along with a shrug.

"Well," Kurt continued. "We were here first, but when we saw Mike and Matt come in, we all decided to combine our groups. I assume that's ok by you?"

"I don't care," Puck shrugged. "I'm just hungry."

"And lonely," Brittany said.

Kurt and Tina both choked on their lemonades. Puck raised his eyebrow as he looked a Brittany. "What?"

"Well, aren't you?" Brittany asked.

"Obviously she means because Rachel's gone," Santana said pointedly.

"Yeah, well, she'll be back soon," he said gruffly.

"I'm surprised she hasn't decided to stay," Kurt said casually.

They were interrupted by the waitress taking their orders—Puck's drink and food order and everyone else's food order only. Once she left, they went back to their conversation.

"I wish I could've stayed. New York really was amazing," Tina said wistfully.

"Totally," Mike agreed. Brittany nodded rapidly. "The best."

"Maybe she wants to stay, or go back there next year, but we already talked about it. She said she'd stay in Ohio for college."

"What!" Just about everyone at the table said the same thing.

"Rachel Berry is ditching Broadway?" asked Mercedes incredulously.

Artie sputtered, "I think I'm in a state of mild shock at the moment." He held up one finger as Puck started to speak. "So you're telling me that Rachel Berry—the most self-centered, success-driven, scheduled, and yes, talented person we know—is giving up her dream? For you?" Artie shook his head. "My mind…is officially blown."

Puck folded his arms across his chest. "Well, shit, Artie, don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel," he said bitterly.

"Artie has a good point," Tina said, giving Artie a half-smile before turning to glare at Puck. "Did you ask her to give up her dreams? Why would you do that?"

"Whoa, let's not gang up on the Puckerone, ok? I didn't ask her to give up on her dreams, so back the fuck off. I just said I might want to stick around here for a while to see Dizzy grow up, that's all."

"But shouldn't you support her? Even if that means she'd go to New York while you stay here?" Tina reasoned.

Puck felt his stomach turn. The thought of that being his future—him in Ohio while Rachel was living her dream in New York—that sucked. "It's not like I don't want her to go New York—hell, I even want to go. You know, the band I'm in did pretty well there, so I'm pretty sure we'll kick ass if we're there for longer than a week."

"This isn't making any sense," Brittany said.

"Brittany's right," Santana said. "As much as I hate to be the voice of reason, especially when it comes to Rachel," she wrinkled her nose at the name, "you're not making sense. You want to go, she wants to go. The only thing stopping you is a baby that you barely see now even when you live here full time. Hell, you'd probably see her more often if you lived out of state since you'd be making special trips." Santana gave a satisfied look when she added, "Dumbass."

Matt put his arm around Santana. "I have to agree. You're kinda coming off as a selfish dick. Sorry, man, but it's true."

"Yeah," Mike weighed in, "you should at least say you'd support her if she decided to go to New York without you, even if you don't want to." Brittany nodded, trying to follow along.

"Need I remind you that you're in _high school_?" Kurt asked.

"Alright, alright," Puck said, putting up his hands in surrender. "Thanks, everyone, for kicking my ass. And thanks for sticking up for Rachel," he added. "She'll probably really appreciate that."

Santana looked panic-stricken. "You're not telling her what _I_ said, are you?"

Puck chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't go into the details. She'll never know you were on her side, Lopez."

Santana looked relieved, quickly followed by her usual look of disinterest. But the wheels were turning in Puck's mind—he had a lot to think about. The group had a pretty good time together, and Puck even remembered to get a picture to send to Rachel—conveniently taken by Artie when some of the girls went to the bathroom.

…

Instead of going with the gang for food after practice, Finn had requested Quinn's presence on the football field. He thought about doing this in front of everyone, but he thought he'd probably get in trouble and wouldn't be able to finish. Instead, he mimicked Quinn's original gesture—a private serenade—well, except for those AV geeks whose names he still didn't know. But he recognized their faces and they readily came to his aid to play the music for him after he paid them for their trouble. With Quinn in place on the field, he cued the guys who started the music to Dream Catch Me. "Quinn, this is for you."

She smiled, though a little uncertainly. She was hoping that this was the sign she'd been waiting for—the sign that Finn had decided to stay with her. But she didn't recognize the music and wasn't sure what to expect.

Finn walked down the bleachers, microphone in hand, singing his heart out to Quinn.

"_Every time I close my eyes  
It's you, and I know now  
Who I am."_

"_There's a place I go  
When I'm alone,  
Do anything I want,  
Be anyone I wanna be.  
But it is us I see  
And I cannot believe I'm fallin'.  
That's where I'm goin'  
Where are you goin'?  
Hold it close won't let this go._

_Dream catch me  
Dream catch me when I fall  
Or else I won't come back at all._

Did she hear right? Did he say he was falling? Like falling in love with her? Quinn's heart soared.

_You do so much  
But you don't know  
It's true  
And I know now  
Who I am_

_See you as a mountain, a fountain of God  
See you as a descant soul in the setting sun  
You as the sound just as silent as none_

_I'm young_

Finn hoped she understood—but he knew he wouldn't be running away after this performance. He'd be facing Quinn, telling her directly everything he was trying to say, everything he thought she wanted to hear. The best part was, now he knew that he meant it.

_There's a place I go  
When I'm alone,  
Do anything I want,  
Be anyone I wanna be.  
But it is us I see  
And I cannot believe I'm fallin'.  
That's where I'm goin'.  
Where are you goin'?  
Hold it close won't let this go._

_Dream catch me, yeah,  
Dream catch me when I fall  
Or else I won't come back at all._

He finished the song. He set down the microphone on the grass. He strode purposefully toward her and pulled her into his arms. "I love you, Quinn Fabray. I really do."

"Oh, Finn!" she blinked back tears. "I love you too."

Finn bent down and he kissed Quinn like he'd never kissed before.

…

Seeing Finn and Quinn all happy and couple-y was great and all, but it just made Puck so ready for the day when he headed out to New York. Fortunately, he had a little project to keep him busy. And he wanted to perfect it before Rachel came home so he could reveal his surprise. It was all he could do not to tell her when they talked on the phone Thursday night. But he told himself he just had to get through the weekend. Then once she got back home after the finale show, he'd play it for her—probably get the band to play too. He realized he needed to get the band in on it and give them their parts—because he'd been writing all the instrumentation backing him on the piano, but at the same time, he kinda wanted Rachel to hear it first. It was for her and it had a really important message for her.

…

The thing was, he couldn't keep his mouth shut, even before he was ready. He kind of spilled his own secret. But to be fair, they were having the best reunion type moment or whatever.

First, he actually dressed up with a tie and everything so that when he met her off of the plane, he'd look so good she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of him—that totally worked too—aided by the fact that he picked up flowers in the airport before he got to where Rachel was waiting for him. She squealed and jumped into his arms—slightly damaging the roses in the process, but he didn't give a shit. They totally served their purpose. "Hey, baby. Happy to see me?" he smirked.

"Yes!" she hugged him tighter.

"Well, these are for you," he chuckled. "They're for luck and for me to apologize for being such a…tool," he said, making an attempt to cut down on cursing for her.

"Oh, you are just the sweetest boyfriend ever!" she gushed—not even bothering to be sure what he was apologizing for this time. "I can't wait to get you back to the hotel and sex you up!" she whispered enthusiastically.

Puck cracked up laughing. Then he lifted her up and spun her around. "That sounds like the best plan ever."

And that's basically what they did. They spent hours, lavishing attention on each other. Rachel had prepared for his return by making sure to wear her black lacy lingerie under her blue sundress. As soon as they closed the door to her hotel room, she began slipping off her dress. She didn't even turn out the lights like she usually liked to do. (She knew he preferred to see her.) Puck was basically in heaven. His girl—his gorgeous girl—was giving him a strip-tease. He was hard in a flash. She pressed herself against him as she loosened his tie—damn thing. He questioned his wardrobe choice as it was taking forever to get rid of the layers—tie, vest (yes, a vest), button-down shirt, undershirt, pants, boxers…but the anticipation was awesome too. Watching her stand there in her lace bra and panties as she slowly removed his clothes, he made the conscious decision that they would take this slow. They would take their time and he would make everything up to her in ways that roses couldn't come close to doing.

Rachel could always lose herself in Noah's arms, but this…there was something different…about his touch, about the look in his eyes. He always made her feel special and beautiful, but this was like their most intimate moments multiplied by a thousand. She held on to him tightly, kissing him passionately. She felt like they were so in tune with each other's movements, wants, needs. His hands, his lips, were everywhere she wanted them to be.

He felt her trembling around him but he wasn't ready for this to be over, so he slowed his pace, trying to prolong it, but Rachel wouldn't have it. She rocked her hips faster, thrusting him deeper inside her. "Please," she whispered into his ear. "Noah, more. Please, I need this, I need you now."

So he had no choice but to do as she asked. "Since you asked so nicely," he smirked as he pumped harder, getting back into the rhythm that had her clenching around him and saying his name over and over.

When they finally fell asleep, they both felt perfectly content in each other's arms.

…

The next morning, they lazed around a bit until Rachel realized her dads were going to arrive shortly. Their plan (her plan) called for Puck going back to the airport where she and her dads would meet him, pretending that he was on the arriving flight at noon instead of the one at ten her dads were on. Rachel jumped in shower first and started packing up most of her clothes so she'd have less to do later. Puck got in the shower after her and started shaving so he'd be well-groomed for seeing Rachel's dads and going to her show. He caught her eye in the mirror while he was finishing with the razor and he puckered his lips into a kiss for her. He couldn't help it. She hadn't put on any makeup yet, and she looked so fresh-faced and innocent, sweet and perfect. Damn, he loved that girl.

She giggled and blew him a kiss back. Happiness washed over in the simplicity of that moment. She loved him so much. She could picture the two of them in a place of their own one day, doing all the domestic things like sharing a bathroom, a bedroom, a life…and she knew it would be amazing. He caught her by surprise by asking to take a few pictures.

"For your memories," he explained, holding up the camera.

"But I'm not ready! I haven't done my hair or my makeup!"

"You look freakin' adorable, and I'm taking a picture right now," he declared firmly.

Rachel paused, "Fine, take it," she said with playful exasperation.

He did. "It's kinda nice, like this, the two of us alone here," he fumbled.

"I feel the same way," Rachel smiled, reaching up to give him a peck on the lips. "Let me just finish getting ready so we can get you to the airport so we can have more moments like this without my dads killing you."

It was as they were heading out of her hotel room holding hands when Puck brought up what he should have saved for later.

"So, I wrote a song…"

"Really? That's amazing! I'm so proud of you, Noah!" she hugged him tightly, almost causing him to drop his duffle bag.

"Funny you should say that…" he scratched at his Mohawk.

"Why? I'm always proud of you!"

"I know, you are. That's kinda what the song's about. It's about you. Us."

"I must hear it! As soon as humanly possible!"

Puck laughed. "I thought you might say that. I'll play it for you as soon as I can. I'm gonna play it for the band too, and see what they think about adding it."

"That's great, sweetie! Really exceptional news! But can you just sing it to me now? I really want to hear it."

"Well, it won't sound as good without the band playing their parts too."

"All I care about is you," she said solemnly, big brown eyes gazing into his..

Puck felt as if his heart was caught in his throat. "Damn, I love you, Rach. You know that, right?"

"I do," she said softly, "though I love hearing you tell me." She finished with a smile. "I love you too, Noah Puckerman. More than you could ever know." That's when Rachel remembered the piano in the hotel lobby. "And I'd love to hear your song. Now." She took his hand and began pulling him.

"Now? I don't know…" then he spotted the piano. "No, Rach, it's not really ready. Definitely not ready for a public performance." He felt his stomach flip with anxiety at the thought.

"Don't worry, there's hardly anyone around. And it's easy. I'll show you," she smiled. A memory of Jesse playing the piano at the music store flashed through her mind, but that was quickly replaced by the image of Noah kissing her in the mirror while he was shaving. She knew the perfect song. "I'll play a song for you first, so you can work up the nerve to play your song for me after I finish." She didn't wait for him to agree; she just took a seat at the bench and began playing.

_I've been waiting all my life for this morning  
Just to wake up next to you holding me  
And your head is resting gently on my shoulder  
Like you're whispering to me_

_I'm in love with you  
I'm in love with you  
So glad I found you  
I'm in love with you_

Puck sat down next to her, marveling at her confidence, talent, and beauty. A few people who had been walking through the lobby took seats nearby to listen.

_When we're leaving dreams and rolling back the covers  
All at once we're getting ready for the day  
It's when you look at me in the mirror while you're shaving  
Before I go on my way, you say_

_I'm in love with you  
I'm in love with you  
You're the one I choose  
'Cause I'm in love_

Rachel beamed at him, and Puck couldn't help but grin back at her and blow her another kiss.

_Love is joy and love is pain  
It's kissing in the rain  
It's doing dishes when it's late  
Isn't it, baby?  
It's the art of compromise  
It's hellos and long goodbyes  
It's the picture of our lives  
Isn't it crazy?_

Puck laughed after she said 'crazy'—and at the thought of all those pictures they'd been taking. 

_So I'll call you when I get to where I'm going  
And I'll tell everyone we know you said hello  
And without fail they'll ask me if I miss you  
Of course I do, you know I do_

_'Cause I'm in love with you  
Oh, I'm in love with you  
You're the one I choose_

_'Cause I'm in love  
I'm in love with you  
I'm in love with you  
I love you just the same as I did the day  
I fell in love with you_

The small group around them applauded. Rachel stood up and did a little curtsy. "Thank you so much," she smiled politely.

"That was amazing, baby."

"I meant it too. I love you."

"Love you too," he said as he wrapped her up into a hug, followed by a brief kiss. The onlookers started to disperse after saying a few 'aw's'.

"Now it's your turn," she said simply.

"Alright," Puck nodded. "But I'm warning you, as soon as you hear this, you're gonna wanna sex me up so hard…"

"I think I'll be able to control myself," she said haughtily.

Puck shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He sat down at the piano bench and looked up at her with a smirk. Then his expression completely changed to a look so vulnerable, Rachel almost lost it right there. And then when she heard his composition on the piano, she was blown away. But the lyrics, his words, amazed her.

_I am not as brave, beautiful, and patient as you are  
But I am safe in your arms I listen as you say  
"I'm proud of who you've become  
and the person you will be tomorrow..."  
And I know I would give anything up for you..._

_I'll follow through I promise to hold on  
I'll never let go won't let you down  
If you can stay proud I'll be brave somehow..._

Rachel wondered if he meant it—that he would give anything up for her. Did that mean…?

_I am not that brave... Sometimes I need to hear you whisper  
"Everything's O.K... You'll be fine, I'll help you find your way..."  
And I have nothing but faith in you  
All that I am is what you are and we are  
I would give anything up for you..._

_I'll follow through I promise to hold on  
I'll never let go won't let you down  
If you can stay proud I'll be brave somehow..._

_Whisper... You can save me I am listening  
I am waiting for your best to come alive  
And help me understand the reasons why  
I'm here now living a feeling unlike my fear  
Outside of this life I am here now for you..._

_I'll follow through I promise to hold on  
I'll never let go won't let you down  
If you can stay proud I'll be brave and  
I will follow you I promise to hold on  
I'll never let go won't let you down  
If you can stay proud I'll be brave somehow..._

As he finished, he looked into her eyes. "And I mean this too. You're worth it. I don't want to make you give up New York. I want us to be here together next year. I can at least apply to schools and try to get here for you."

Tears sprang to her eyes and she flung her arms around him. "I love you, I love you, I love you," she said between kisses.

He laughed before asking seriously, "And the song? What did you think?"

"Noah, that was fantastic! So beautiful! Of course I love the lyrics because they're so meaningful for us, but the music too has me stunned—you're so talented! I really am so proud!"

Puck actually blushed. Then he registered the applause—even more people were clapping for him than it seemed had been there for Rachel's song. He looked around wide-eyed before Rachel prompted him with her eyes and a little shove.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks. Thanks everyone. That's a song I'm working on called _Brav_e, and it's all for my girl here." That elicited more clapping. Along with Rachel dragging him back toward the elevators.

"But I thought we needed to get to the airport," Puck chuckled.

"We do," she agreed. "But you were right about what would happen after you played that for me. Fortunately, we are in a hotel," she reasoned.

"And your dads?"

She pushed him into the elevator with an evil grin. "Shut up and enjoy the moment will you?"

He did.

…

So Puck and Rachel got to the airport a little late, and Puck ducked away so Rachel could meet her dads while he hung out at the airport for an appropriate amount of time to pretend that he came in on the next flight.

Unfortunately, when the Berry's met Puck at the airport after his "flight" the first thing her dads asked was if he would be staying at the same hotel or if they needed to drop his bag off somewhere else.

"Actually," he said reluctantly, "with the cost of the flight, I didn't rent a hotel room. I was hoping I could crash on one of those rolling bed things."

Aaron and Marshall Berry exchanged a dark look before Marshall answered. "Absolutely not. That will not do at all. While we appreciate your willingness to get a cot bed, it doesn't seem appropriate for you to stay in Rachel's room without supervision."

"What if I stay in your room?" Puck asked desperately. He didn't want to do that…at all…because…ew. But he didn't have money for a separate room either. The Berry men nodded and they all headed back to the Hilton to ask for a rollaway cot.

Unfortunately due to the large number of guests for the Broadway Camp and other activities that day, the hotel didn't have any available.

"It's cool," Puck shrugged. "I'll just sleep on the floor for a night."

"That is not ideal," started Aaron Berry.

"Well…I do have two possibilities," Rachel said reluctantly. "First, we could contact a friend of friend of Noah's who lives in Brooklyn."

"Oh really? Well, that's a little far—especially for Noah to be all by himself," said Aaron. He was wringing his hands, worried about what Deb Puckerman would think.

"The second option is closer, but it involves other…uncomfortable aspects. You see…Jesse St. James has an apartment in the city. He would probably let Noah sleep on the couch if I call him. But then we'll probably have to invite Jesse to come with us to the Family Finale." Rachel looked at Noah miserably, silently asking him to forgive her for bringing up the option.

Puck fumed. That was the worst idea ever.

"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Marshall Berry. "Of course we should invite Jesse to join us. It would only be polite."

"Um, it might be kinda awkward," Puck spoke up. "Me, Rachel's current boyfriend, rooming with Jesse, Rachel's ex-boyfriend. It's not like we're friends…at all. In fact, we're the opposite of friends."

"Enemies," Rachel corrected—she couldn't help herself.

"Yeah," Puck nodded—he was used to Rachel doing that, so it only pissed him off sometimes. "We're pretty much enemies. I'd rather stay with the Jordan's in Brooklyn. I can figure out which train to take and whatever to get back and forth in time for the finale. Or seriously, the floor is fine."

Aaron and Marshall Berry agreed that they wouldn't force Puck to be uncomfortable (any more than they already were by preventing him from spending the night with Rachel), as long as his mother was ok with the Brooklyn arrangement. Unfortunately, they couldn't get a hold of Liv and Jake Jordan, and the Berry men wouldn't allow Puck to stay there if they couldn't reach them in advance. They also seemed really opposed to Puck sleeping on the floor 'when there's a perfectly good place for you to sleep'.

Unknown to Puck and Rachel, though they could guess, the Berry men wanted to have the room to themselves for their night in New York. But also, they were thrilled with the idea that Rachel was in touch with Jesse and any excuse to bring Jesse into their lives was a good one in both of their minds, even at the expense of Rachel's current boyfriend, who they weren't so sure was the best match for her anyway.

So a very disgruntled Puck was going to be shipped off to spend the night with Jesse fucking St. James—because the douchebag agreed in a heartbeat—to the delight of Aaron and Marshall Berry and the dismay of Noah Puckerman.

"You can keep your bag in my room, Noah, during the Family Finale," Rachel said, gently placing her hand on his arm. She knew he was unhappy. "We can go to the show and then come back and get it before you have to leave for the night." She mouthed 'I'm so sorry' to him. "It's just one night, then it will all be over, and we'll get on the plane and go home. All the bad will be behind us and we'll have all the good to look forward to, right?"

Puck nodded and sighed as he lifted his duffle bag.

Fuck his life.

…

**A.N.** I had something in mind, but I've decided to put it to a vote: tell me in your reviews if you want a peaceful or "non-peaceful" meeting of Puck and Jesse. And then, we'll have the conclusion of the story!


	8. Promise of a New Day Part 2

Promise of a New Day (Part 2-Conclusion)

**A.N.** Shout out to everyone who voted for what happens with Jesse/Puck and reviewed the last chapter! You're listed at the end. I couldn't make everyone's requests come true, but I hope you approve of my choices.

Playlists and photo albums are the same as the previous chapter, but here are the links again. See my profile for full links or add these to youtube for new photo album: /watch?v=lx6F70oEV2g

and playlist: /view_play_list?p=9AC6F4C2D7366448

The links for just the songs that will be featured in this chapter are:

Someday We'll Know: /watch?v=jujqj8LNchQ

More Than a Love Song: /watch?v=l-s-jj9b-I

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee, songs, or anything familiar. Photos are of real people and I've borrowed them for this story.

…

Puck was hours away from actually having to stay the night with his true arch-enemy, so he tried to suck it up. Still, he was not looking forward to spending the next two hours with just Rachel's dads for company while she was backstage and then while she performed. And although they hadn't planned it, Jesse was invited to the performance, so it wouldn't surprise him one bit if that little wad squeezed in between the Misters Berry and made himself right at home.

Bastard.

He'd get to actually see Rachel for a while during dinner, but it's not like it would be just the two of them. Far from it.

So Puck suffered in silence after Rachel rushed off to join her cast mates. Well, there was the small talk with her dads to endure, and the awkwardness when Jesse showed up.

And yeah, there was awkwardness.

Jesse spotted them in the lobby just as they were going to find seats. He hailed them with a wave, and Puck could tell the Papa Berries thought the sun shined out of his ass—they were beaming as they waved back.

"Jesse St. James! Glad you could join us. It's been a while since we've seen you! Tell us what you've been up to!" Aaron Berry buzzed.

Jesse smiled at his audience. "Aaron, Marshall, it's nice to see you again," he greeted as he shook their hands. He nodded at Puck. "Puckerman," he acknowledged and extended his hand.

Puck gave a single head nod and shook his hand. "St. James."

"So, what have you been up to, son?" Aaron repeated. Puck winced at the way he was obviously drooling over Jesse—it was clear which of their daughter's boyfriends they preferred.

Score one for Jesse.

Jesse told them about his acceptance to the NYU performing arts program and how he couldn't wait to hit the ground running, so he moved to the city as soon as he possibly could.

"It's so rare to find that kind of drive, motivation, and foresight among people your age," Marshall Berry told Jesse. "Very commendable, don't you agree, Noah?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I agree. But you know, Rachel's that driven. I know quite a few people our age that way."

"You're right about our little Rachel," Marshall said with a proud grin.

Score one for Puck.

"Let's get to our seats so we can get the best pictures," prompted Aaron.

Maybe that wasn't a score. Damn.

Jesse gave Puck a dirty look as they headed to find seats. What the fuck?

"You got a problem, man?" Puck whispered through clenched teeth while he followed Jesse down the aisle.

"I think you know," he whispered as he glanced back. "…About Rachel's future?" he hinted.

"Well, spit out already," Puck said in a low growl as he sat next to him.

"We'll talk later," Jesse told him before turning to his left where Rachel's dads were looking through their man-bags for their cameras.

Puck sat sullenly with his arms crossed, praying for an end to this level of hell. Finally the lights dimmed and the curtain rose, so he could at least start looking out for Rachel. Unfortunately, there were scenes from various shows performed before Rachel would grace the stage as Evita. During a number that was clearly not from _Evita_ (Rachel was nowhere in sight), Puck noticed Jesse snapping pictures.

He jabbed him in the side with his elbow. "What are you doing?"

Jesse lowered his camera and turned. "I'm taking pictures of Rachel's friends. I assume she'd like the keepsakes. Besides, see the one playing Sally Bowles? That's Lilli. She likes me."

Puck had no idea who Sally Bowles was, though he felt like it was kinda familiar, probably from watching shit with Rachel. But he followed the direction Jesse was indicating. "The black girl?" he asked.

Jesse nodded, but apparently Puck was a bit too loud (and a bit too blunt), as not only did he get glares from Rachel's dads, but also the people in the seats in front of him. "Sorry," he muttered.

Strike one for Puck. Shit.

When Sally/Lilli started singing _Maybe This Time_, he recognized the song and realized why Sally Bowles was familiar. He decided he liked April Rhodes' version of the song better, but Lilli was really good too. Of course, he'd heard Rachel singing the same song, and he was sure she would have wiped the floor with this version.

During the next group of scenes, Jesse was taking pictures again. "That's Alexa playing Roxie," he whispered, as if the characters' names had some meaning to Puck.

They didn't.

"And that's Jen playing Velma," Jesse finished.

Puck nodded with mock appreciation. But then he thought it was helpful to see what Rachel's friends looked like before he was introduced to them at the dinner—which he assumed would happen. "Thanks, man," he said. It still sucked that Jesse knew all of Rachel's friends here.

Finally Rachel took the stage. Puck was on the edge of his seat. Jesse and Rachel's dads were taking pictures like mad men. Puck cursed himself for only having the stupid crappy camera on his phone. Well, Rachel would have all the pictures she could ever want between her dads, and she was sure to send him the best ones, so Puck sat back, ready to be wowed by his beautiful, talented girlfriend.

And wowed he was.

While singing _Don't Cry for Me Argentina_, Rachel felt positively euphoric. She knew she was killing it.

She was.

Rachel's dads were the first to stand up to give her an ovation, followed by Puck and Jesse, the rest of their row, and eventually the whole theater audience. Rachel was beaming with pure joy as she prepared for the next scene.

Jesse was kind enough to point out Rob as Ché and Blake as Perón to Puck during the next number. "They're pretty cool," Jesse added.

"Great," Puck said flatly. At least they were pretty average looking dudes—not that he was worried. He totally wasn't.

After the _Evita_ scenes, there were some songs with what must have been everybody in the camp. First was one with the guys trading off on being the lead, and the other (that Puck actually paid attention to) featured Rachel as one of the leads. It was kinda familiar.

Jesse noticed Puck's look of deep concentration. He leaned over to whisper, "That's _What I Did for Love_ from _A Chorus Line_."

"Got it," Puck nodded.

Marshall and Aaron Berry noticed the two boys had been whispering back and forth during the performances. They smiled, thinking they were witnessing friendship moments between the two boys.

The finale was _One_, again from _A Chorus Line_. (That info again courtesy of Jesse St. James. Puck resisted the urge to ask him if he's gay. He knew that would definitely be a strike against him according to Rachel's dads.)

Puck was quick to stand up and applaud when the show ended. Rachel was awesome, of course, and really he just couldn't wait for her to rush into his arms. He walked out of the theater in a bit of a daze, imagining her tiny body running toward him, brown eyes sparkling, teeth flashing as she laughed.

He was in such a haze that he almost missed it when she actually did that very thing. As she hurdled into his arms, he laughed and lifted her off the ground, spinning around before setting her back down. "You were amazing, Rach," he told her. "Definitely the best one here!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Marshall Berry, opening his arms for a hug from Rachel.

Score for Puck—he hoped.

Aaron Berry joined in the hug and then got one of his own. "I'm so proud of you, little star," he said, getting choked up and a little weepy.

"You have so much potential, Rachel," Jesse added, standing off to the side. "I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and can't wait to be there watching you develop into the star you can be."

Rachel stepped away from her dad. "Thank you, Jesse," she said politely.

Puck counted that as strike one against Jesse because that was not exactly the best compliment and it definitely didn't get a great reaction from Rachel.

Her dads noticed too. They could see the light in Rachel's eyes when she interacted with the Puckerman boy—a light that was not present for Jesse St. James. The two men exchanged knowing looks. They were going to have to change their opinions of Noah Puckerman. He clearly made their daughter the happiest they'd ever seen her.

"Follow me to the dinner reception," Rachel said as she held Puck's hand and led the way.

"You're beautiful as always, Rach," Puck whispered in her ear. She smiled brightly and kissed him on the cheek sweetly. Then she whispered in his ear.

"I'll reward you later for sticking through all of this—when we're alone."

Score! Even if it was with Rachel and not her dads, Puck couldn't help grinning with anticipation of his future reward.

And Rachel felt like she was floating on air as she glided next to Noah into the reception hall. She had changed from her costume and was wearing a formal blue gown and with the help of her boyfriend's compliments, she really was feeling rather beautiful and talented and…in love. She gazed up at him dreamily when he pulled out her chair for her to have a seat at the table. "Thank you, Noah."

Puck winked at Rachel as he sat next to her.

"Aw, what a lovely picture moment," Aaron announced with a clap of his hands. He took a picture of Puck and Rachel from their chairs. Following their picture, Puck stood up and offered to take a picture of the rest of them, intending the picture to be of Rachel and her dads. But he didn't say anything when Jesse wormed his way into the picture.

According to Puck's tally, that was probably a score for him and one for Jesse. After the picture moments, Puck returned to his seat and her dads sat on the other side of Rachel, leaving Jesse to choose the seat next to Aaron or next to the current boyfriend.

Puck raised his eyebrow as Jesse took the chair next to his, but he kept his mouth shut—at least preventing another strike. He noticed Jesse, then Rachel, waving at someone.

"Lilli!" Rachel exclaimed, standing up. "You were wonderful!"

"Thanks, girl," Lilli beamed, giving Rachel a hug. "You were fab too of course."

Jesse stepped up to greet Lilli as well. "A job well done, Lilli."

"Why thank you, Jesse. I didn't know you would be here."

"Neither did I. But Rachel invited me, and I'll be housing Puckerman over here," Jesse said as he gestured to Puck.

Lilli raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she looked at Jesse with a hint of admiration. "That's very big of you."

"I try," Jesse said.

Lilli moved toward Puck, who was ready to punch Jesse in his fake-smiling face. "So you're the infamous boyfriend?" she grinned as she looked him up and down. She turned to Rachel. "I get it, girl. I get it."

Puck smirked at the obvious appraisal of his physique—he was half-proud and half-offended. He had to show he wasn't just a hot piece of ass. He totally was, but he could also hang with these theater freaks. "I really enjoyed your performance of _Maybe This Time_. It reminded me of April Rhodes."

First, Lilli was obviously pleased and impressed, but at Puck's second sentence she was clearly confused.

Jesse cleared his throat, also looking puzzled. "Perhaps you mean Liza Minnelli or Natasha Richardson, but I'm not sure because those names sound nothing like what you said."

Rachel stepped in. "Actually, he means what he said. It's an inside reference from Lima. Noah probably thought I'd told you about April Rhodes, Lilli."

"Oh," Lilli flashed a small smile. "Then, thank you for the compliment," she told Puck.

"Yeah, sure. Sorry for the confusion." Puck realized he shouldn't always say exactly what he was thinking, and he wished he'd taken a second to realize they'd have no fucking clue who April Rhodes was. At least Rachel stood up for him. He pulled her in for a little hug.

Lilli turned around, realizing her parents were approaching. "Do you mind if we join your table?" she asked.

"Of course not," smiled Marshall Berry. "Please join us."

There were introductions all around. Lilli didn't realize Rachel had two gay dads, or that one of those dads was black. Somehow, that knowledge made Lilli admire Rachel even more. That little girl who seemed like she had it all in camp may have faced a bit more adversity in her life than she thought. Rachel had hinted as much, but Lilli hadn't really believed her. She was a pretty white girl with a hot boyfriend and a hot ex-boyfriend who could afford to attend Broadway Camp in NYC. What hardships could she have to face? Some baby mama drama was nothing. But considering all these factors on top of the fact that she came from Nowheresville, Ohio; Lilli thought maybe there was more to Rachel Berry than she realized. At the end of the night, she knew she definitely wanted to keep in touch.

Dinner was served and the topic of discussion was of course the camp and the show. Puck's eyes glazed over a bit during Jesse's detailed critique of the show. Then he realized that nobody else was thrilled to hear what the little douche had to say either. Heh. Strike two for Jesse.

That cued Puck to listen in for the first time Jesse took any kind of break for air. That's when he said, "Well, I'm not an expert like Jesse," he looked pointedly at his nemesis, "but as a performer and general fan of good music, I was really impressed with everyone and really enjoyed the show."

Rachel squeezed his hand under the table and beamed. "Thank you, Noah."

"Well said," Aaron told Puck.

He might consider that one a homerun: especially given the sour look on Jesse's face. That was gold right there.

…

During the evening the group mingled and Rachel introduced her new Broadway Camp friends to her family and boyfriend. Puck had to agree with Jesse's description that everyone seemed pretty cool. In no time at all (in Rachel's eyes), the reception was over, and Rachel's dads said they had to go back to the hotel and go to bed early for their flight. They offered to share a cab with the boys, but Jesse said they'd be fine and the subway was cheaper. So Puck had no choice but to say goodbye to Rachel in a publically appropriate way and head uptown with Jesse. It turns out that he lived close by, and they spent the crowded subway ride with Jesse just telling Puck directions in case they got separated for any reason. It wasn't until they got to his high-rise that he started in. "I have to say, you're welcome here, but I completely disapprove of how you're treating Rachel," Jesse said after he closed the door behind Puck.

"What the fuck?"

"I'm referring to the fact that you're compelling her to give up her dreams of stardom on Broadway without the slightest regard for what's best for her."

Puck clenched his fists. What did this little douchebag know? "You don't know shit, St. James. I was slow on the draw, but I made it up to her."

"That doesn't sound like love to me. It sounds like you're a selfish prick just looking out for yourself."

"Dude! Do you even know what you're talking about?"

"I know what Rachel told me. You may be surprised, but we talked quite a bit. We had a pretty nice time together these past few days."

"Really?" Puck scoffed.

"Yes," Jesse nodded. "Would you like some proof?" he offered.

"What the fuck?" Puck repeated.

Jesse shook his head at the poor bastard's limited vocabulary. But he brought out his laptop and pulled up a picture— their recent picture taken by Lilli walking through New York. That was followed by the one of him (and Blake) kissing Rachel on the cheek after her showcase performance.

Puck was stunned into silence. It was like that douche was staring at him from the picture, just daring him to punch that cocky look off his fucking face. He glanced up to see the real Jesse looking about the same way-without the puckered lips kissing Rachel on the cheek of course. Without warning, Puck hauled his fist back and gave a right hook to the jaw, followed by a quick left jab to the nose.

Well, that's what Puck wanted to do. But he stopped himself. He knew that Rachel would be…the opposite of proud—if he hit Jesse—not to mention her fathers. The last thing Puck needed was another reason for her dads to hate him and love Jesse.

Instead, Puck's fist pounded the wall: leaving an unfortunate series of cracks and a small hole in the drywall—and a few small gashes in his fist. "Fuck," he swore.

"I could say the same, given the damage you've done to my wall," Jesse said evenly. "But your aggressive display does nothing to reassure me that you care more for Rachel than you do for yourself—a true sign of love."

Puck was so furious, he could barely see straight. "I'm giving up seeing my kid grow up to go be with her in New York! If that doesn't sound like love, what fuckin' does?"

Jesse contemplated this new information. "I appreciate that," he said with icy calm. "This wasn't the case the last time Rachel and I spoke, so clearly this selflessness was not your first impulse."

"It's a fucking major decision!" Puck shouted.

Jesse responded coolly, "Like I said before, you can have this year with her in Ohio. I've given it to you, as we agreed. But when Rachel moves here next year, we'll see how things go."

"You're not _giving_ _me_ anything. She's with me, not you, and don't you fucking forget it again. Learn your fucking lesson, why don't you? Don't make me kick your ass a second time."

Jesse nodded dismissively. "If you'll excuse me, I should call my father and ask him what I should do about that hole you left in the wall."

"Are you shitting me?" Puck asked as he saw Jesse pull out his cell phone. "What did you think would happen when you showed me that picture?"

"I suppose I didn't prepare myself for the fist of fury to fly into the wall inches from my face. Now I know I should have," he stated matter-of-factly. "I assumed you knew about such things. When you clearly did not, I felt obliged to show you."

"Then who's the idiot now?" Puck smirked.

"Who, indeed?" Jesse smirked back.

"Mother-fucker," Puck ground out, punching the wall again. It was better than pounding that chicken-shit the way he wanted. And Puck didn't think actually kicking the shit out of the poor bastard was necessary. But he was at a loss for what to do next.

"If you're finished inflicting damage on my property, I'd like to call my father and probably the building super," Jesse said with a calm that surprised even him. "I suggest you leave now so you're not arrested."

"Oh you little shit head," he clenched his fists. "Yeah, I'm going. The only reason I'm not wasting more time on you is because I've got to meet Rachel tomorrow morning and I don't want to embarrass her if I show up with my knuckles fucked up from your face."

Jesse nodded and held up one finger as if to tell Puck to wait while he was on the phone.

Fuck that noise. Puck gave Jesse a different finger and headed out.

Jesse stared at the door while the phone rang as he tried to reach his dad. No answer.

As he suspected.

Jesse sighed and wondered whether he'd lost his shot with Rachel or not. She was clearly completely duped by Puckerman, and while her dads started out eating from the palm of his hand, he lost them over the course of the evening. Why in the world everyone seemed to think _Puck_ was so great was beyond him.

…

Shit. Rachel was gonna be so pissed, Puck thought as he stormed out of Jesse's building. But wait a minute, he was pissed too. She never mentioned that they have a fucking picture with Jesse fucking kissing her on the cheek. But first thing's first, he needed to text Rach so they didn't stop by Jesse's to meet him since he obviously wouldn't be there. He typed out that he'd meet them at the airport and hoped that would work.

So Puck headed to the only place he could think of—the Jordan place. He had their address but didn't have their number—only Josh's cell—which was in Ohio with Josh. Apparently Rachel had their phone number since she'd tried to reach Liv and Jake earlier to ask if he could stay there instead of with Jesse, but Puck couldn't really call Rachel and ask for the number…Not without explaining why he had to leave Jesse's. And he didn't really feel like getting into it. He just hoped they'd be there when he showed up on the Jordan's doorstep.

…

"Noah Puckerman!" Liv exclaimed after taking a moment to register who was at her door. "I'm so surprised to see you! We were just talking about you!"

"You were?" Puck asked, confused.

"Well," she smiled conspiratorially and leaned closer. "We were talking about the band, and Josh. And by _we_, I mean Viv." Liv batted her eyelashes, in her best imitation of her sister Vivian.

"Uh, do you have something in your eye, Liv?" Puck asked.

Liv stopped blinking. Rachel would get it, she thought. Then she made a realization. "Where's Rachel?" she asked, looking around Puck.

He shrugged. "It's just me. Sorry to bust in on you like this. I was hoping I could stay overnight here. Just tonight." He lifted his duffle bag, revealing his split knuckles.

That's when Liv had a second realization. "You're bleeding!"

"Shit," he muttered. "Sorry. It's not too bad, but if you could tell me if I could stay here tonight or not, that would help me figure out what to do next."

"Oh! Of course! Now _I'm_ sorry! Do come in." Liv stepped aside to let him inside. "Jake! Bring me the first aid kit!" she called into the hallway.

"What the hell? What's wrong?" Jake shouted back in a panic.

"Liv?" Vivian yelled from the kitchen before she came running.

Liv smiled nervously at Puck and then called out to her family. "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's not me who's hurt." Jake arrived with the kit in hand. Liv gestured. "It's Noah Puckerman. Josh's friend."

"Yeah, I remember. It hasn't been that long since he was here last," Jake nodded. "What's the first aid stuff for?"

Puck apologized again, explained that his hand was bleeding, and that he just needed a place to crash for the night.

"Are you in some kind of trouble, kid?" Jake asked as Liv looked through the kit for the right supplies.

"Nah," Puck shrugged. "I was trying to get a hold of you two earlier to see if I could stay the night because Rachel's dads wouldn't let me stay with her after her performance. So I had to go to the only other person in the city she knows—her ex-boyfriend. And…yeah…that didn't work out so well."

Jake chuckled. "Well, seeing that you're the one with the bloody knuckles, I'm guessing you punched him, not the other way around."

"He's a douche. I wanted to punch him; ended up punching his wall instead and getting the hell outta there."

Jake laughed. "Enough said."

Liv shook her head and shrugged at Vivian. "Well, it's a good thing we have extra space. Viv was planning to stay the night in the guest room—we've been having some sisterly bonding, but if you don't mind sleeping on the couch in the study, you're more than welcome."

"That would be awesome. I totally owe you. And I'll be out of your way early so I can catch my flight back to Ohio."

"It's no problem," Liv said. "Should we call anyone for you?"

"No, thanks," Puck said casually. Internally he was shouting _HELL NO_. "I don't want to wake Rachel and her dads since we have an early flight."

"Very considerate of you," Vivian said from behind Liv. She couldn't hide the hint of skepticism in her voice or the knowing look in her eyes.

"Uh, yeah. Well, thanks again," Puck said as he stood up from where Liv had been tending to his hand. "I'll just get out of your way and hit the sack if that's ok."

So with little more fuss, Liv prepared some pillows and blankets, and Puck headed up to the study to get some sleep.

…

Puck awoke to his cell phone alarm, telling him he had to head to the airport. He wasn't sure if he should just leave without waking anyone up, or if he should wake someone up to say thank you. Rachel would know what to do. But he sure as hell wasn't calling her to ask. He got dressed, gathered his shit, and headed downstairs quietly.

He was in luck. Everyone was up. Jake was starting some coffee and Liv and Vivian were pulling out bread and eggs and stuff from the fridge.

"Oh, Noah, good morning," greeted Liv. "Care for some breakfast before you leave?"

"No, thanks," Puck said. He didn't correct Liv's over-use of his real name. He knew she just called him that because of Rachel.

"These two make a good breakfast," Jake cajoled. "And I make a mean coffee," he grinned.

Puck chuckled but declined. "I'm not sure how long it will take to get to the airport, so I figure I should get going. But thanks again for letting me stay."

They said their goodbyes, with Liv extending an invitation for him to return anytime. "And don't forget Rachel next time," she said with a wink.

"Sure thing," Puck smirked. "Thanks again. See ya next time we're in town."

Puck headed to the subway station, feeling almost like Josh's older brother and sister-in-law were sorta like family to him and Rachel too: like they already had friendly faces waiting for them when they came back to New York.

It was a good feeling.

But not as good as the feeling of seeing Rachel again and heading home together.

He'd deal with the fall out of the whole Jesse thing when he had to. Ok, he thought about how he'd deal with it the whole way into JFK.

…

But when he got to the terminal and saw Rachel waving at him with a huge smile on her face, Puck's mind went blank. All he could do was jog over to her and wrap her up in a hug.

"I have great news, Noah!" Rachel was vibrating with excitement. Puck could see so many similarities between her and Aaron Berry. He could use some good news before he went into the bad news about Jesse's wall and his annoyance at Rachel for hiding the existence of that little kissy picture.

"Oh yeah?" he smirked. "Lay it on me."

She leaned toward him with a gleam in her eye. "Last night, Dad and Daddy talked about how impressed they are with you and how happy you make me!"

Puck was pretty shocked. After a few moments, he finally managed to say, "So they're finally coming around, huh?"

"More than just _coming around_! They've done a complete 180! Well, that might be an exaggerating, but they love you almost as much as I do! I think me telling them about your song and what it meant helped, along with them seeing us together yesterday. In any case, they're definitely on Team Noah," Rachel finished with a flourish.

Puck shook his head with a chuckle. "Team Noah, huh? That's…great…hard to believe, but great," he stammered. His insecurities about Jesse St. James were vanishing. It didn't really even seem worth mentioning.

"It _is_ great," Rachel said, leaning her head on his shoulder and making herself comfortable in the airplane seat. "I'm so happy, Noah."

"Me too, baby, me too," he said, running his fingers through her silky hair. He dozed off and before he knew it, they were landing in Ohio.

…

It wasn't until after they landed and Puck was grabbing his bag that Rachel noticed his hand. "Oh, Noah! What happened?"

Puck glanced at the Papa Berries. "I'll tell you later, ok?" he pleaded in a totally manly way. "When we're alone."

Rachel looked at him with concern but agreed.

So after a reasonable amount of time (the amount her fathers made her wait at home unpacking and regaling them with stories from camp, Rachel went to the Puckerman residence to hear the story that her boyfriend wouldn't tell her in front of her fathers.

Of course, Puck had to tell her the story.

And of course, Rachel was upset.

She stormed out.

Then back in.

"I understand. And I'm proud of you for resisting the urge to express your emotions in the form of physical violence toward Jesse's person. While destruction of property is also…not ideal…" Rachel's voice trailed off.

"Yeah, but it's progress, right?" Puck asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's certainly progress," Rachel's lips curved into a small smile.

Puck opened his arms, gesturing for her to join him on the bed. She smiled wider and he enveloped her in a hug. "Still mad at me, B?"

"I'm trying to be," she joked, "but you make it far too difficult to stay mad. You're too charming, Noah Puckerman."

Puck laughed, feeling relieved.

…

The remaining weeks of summer were going rather perfectly, if Rachel were asked to give her assessment. The only imperfection was the lack of alone time to…_be intimate_, but she understood that even though her dads were now Team Noah, they weren't Team Sexually Active Teenagers. That was understandable, she decided, so she focused on the positive. Not only was she enjoying every possible moment with her amazing boyfriend, but she was catching up on friendships in Lima and maintaining her new friendships from Broadway camp. She made sure she talked to Quinn and apologized for her lack of good friendship behavior over the summer and asked about everything that had been going on with her lately.

She even had a new idea to share with Noah.

"So what do you think about a double date?" she asked. "Fuinn suggested it."

"Who the hell is Fuinn?" he asked with annoyance from his comfortable spot on her bed.

"Oh," Rachel said brightly. "You know how some people started calling us Puckleberry?"

Puck rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Well, Finn and Quinn's couple name is Fuinn."

Puck shook his head in mild disgust. Then he looked at Rachel. "So when we go out on double date things, people will call us Puckleberry Fuinn?"

Rachel started giggling in delight as she clapped her hands together. "Yes!"

"Put me out of my misery now," Puck groaned and fell back dramatically on her pillows.

She crawled onto her bed next to him and swiped at him playfully. "Don't be silly. It's a compliment. It means we're a power couple. Like Brangelina."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie—Brangelina," she explained.

"Well, who had a couple name first? Us or Finn and Quinn?" Puck asked.

Rachel's eyes lit up as she bounced up and down on the mattress. "We did! We won!"

"Damn straight we did," he said proudly—even though he wasn't sure exactly why he felt a sense of pride over a humiliating couple name. "I've never really won anything over Finn—especially when I'm not even trying."

"That's not true," Rachel said.

"It's not?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"You won me," she declared, stretching to give him a kiss before cuddling in bed next to him.

"Oh yeah! And I wasn't even trying," he smirked.

"Hey!" Rachel exclaimed as she elbowed him lightly.

…

So the foursome went on their second double date—the first being junior prom. When they showed up at Mario's—their favorite restaurant—Quinn shook her head at the sight of Rachel.

"What?" Rachel asked, looking down at herself for any obvious cause of Quinn's expression of amusement.

Finn caught on first. "You're dressed like twins or something!" he exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Damn, he's right," laughed Puck. "I'd say the day Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray dress as twins is a picture moment."

This time Rachel laughed at his reference to picture moments. Then she stepped toward Quinn. "Of course we're not dressed like twins, but we do obviously have good taste. What do you say, Quinn, will you pose for a picture with me?"

"Sure," Quinn said with a tentative smile. She smiled for the picture, but she was actually caught off-guard by how radiant Rachel looked. She hardly looked like the Rachel Berry Quinn was used to seeing. They definitely did _NOT_ look like twins with Rachel in her white lacy dress and Quinn in her white ruffled summer dress, but whatever was different about Rachel—her hair, her makeup, Quinn wasn't sure—but whatever it was, Quinn was simultaneously happy for Rachel and a little nervous for herself. But while they waited to be seated at a table, she felt her fears dissipate as she could tell how completely engrossed with each other Rachel and Puck were—and Finn didn't seem to notice Rachel's new look—or if he did, he was smart enough not to bring it up in front of Quinn. He seemed to be unable to take his eyes off of Quinn, so she enjoyed the feeling of warmth spreading through her under his gaze.

When the hostess took them to their table, they seemed to have little to say to each other. Rachel didn't really know what to talk about without sounding like she was bragging about New York. Puck wasn't much of a talker in these types of situations and was mostly keeping an eye on Finn to make sure he didn't hit on Rachel. Finn was pondering whether to have lasagna or fettuccine alfredo—or both. Quinn couldn't stand the silence, so she thought fast and came up with a topic of conversation. "So…her going away party was so successful, I think Rachel should have a back-to-school party. Don't you boys agree?"

"Hell yeah!" Puck exclaimed.

"Great idea, Quinn," Finn grinned, putting the menu aside.

"Rachel?" Quinn prompted.

"Well," she answered hesitantly. "I'll have to ask my dads, but I imagine they'll be agreeable to a small celebration." Rachel kind of wanted to spend every moment possible with her boyfriend, but she supposed that having one party with their friends wouldn't hurt and would probably be fun.

So Quinn succeeded in ridding them of awkward silence and arranging a party. They agreed on details like inviting the glee club seniors (and nobody from Puck's band—she thought that went without saying, but Puck didn't get the memo on the 'no band talk' policy).

In a display of poor table manners, Puck took a bite of his lasagna before inviting Quinn and Finn to his next show with the band. "It's another all-ages show," he explained, "and it really helps if we have a friendly crowd. Plus, I'm gonna sing lead on a song for Rach," he grinned proudly.

"Really?" Rachel practically squealed, taking Puck's face in her tiny hands and kissing him. Then she turned to face Finn and Quinn. "Oh, you must come! Noah is so talented! He's even writing his own songs that sound better than the ones on the radio!"

Finn and Quinn looked at each other in surprise. "Puck's writing songs?"

"Yeah, I am, dude," Puck told Finn. "Don't act so shocked." He looked at Rachel with what he was sure was a sappy expression, but he couldn't help it. "It's easy when you have inspiration."

Rachel melted right there. If her body could correspond to her emotional state, she'd be a puddle on the floor. She told him as much, but apparently her language sounded odd. At the questioning quirk of his eyebrow, Rachel flung her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him enthusiastically. "You're amazing!"

"You are," he grinned down at her.

Quinn rolled her eyes at their cuteness, but she and Finn couldn't help but smile.

…

So that's how Quinn, Finn, and the rest of the glee rising seniors ended up at The Coffee House for another performance of _The Relentless, with special guest Rachel Berry_. Yes, that was actually written on the chalk board outside the café—with part of the message in Rachel's handwriting.

Josh handed her the music to _Someday We'll Know_. At first, Rachel was fine with the selection, but then she scanned the lyrics and found something she wasn't sure was appropriate near the end of the song.

"I'm sorry, I cannot perform this song with you in front of Quinn and Finn," she said formally.

Josh nodded. "That's ok. I could sing it alone since it's originally not a duet. …Or better yet, I could ask…what's her name? Santana, I think that's the one."

"Santana? How do you know Santana?"

"You mean Puckerman didn't tell you?" Josh smirked. "He invited some of your high school pals to watch a show we did here a while ago. Yeah…Santana…she seemed…eager for attention."

From across the room, Puck caught Rachel's death glare—first pointed at Josh, then aimed at…him! What did he do? He headed their way in time to hear Rachel say, "Josh Jordan, you are a fiend!"

"Whoa, breakin' out the big guns there, Rach. First and last name? What'd you do, Josh?"

"I simply requested Rachel's accompaniment on a song. When she declined, I considered asking your mutual friend, Santana."

"Shit," Puck muttered. He knew Josh had no way of knowing his history with Santana, but he'd stumbled on the one girl, besides Quinn, who would really drive Rachel crazy.

"Nothing to worry about, Puckerman," Josh smirked. "Your girlfriend here has a little jealous streak too, and she's agreed to sing with me."

"Dude, I don't know what this is about, but I do know one thing—you're a douche."

"I think I prefer _fiend_," Josh grinned. "It's part of my charm." He winked at the tiny brunette scowling up at him.

Rachel huffed and turned on her heel. Puck called to her, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, even if I don't know why you don't want to sing some song."

She turned back around. "I have no doubt that Josh really would bring in Santana—and that thought bothers me more than singing this song," she said vehemently before calming down. "Besides, I'm always too sensitive about lyrics. This one just…made me think of Quinn. But maybe Josh will play it cool for once and not screw things up."

"_Play it cool_?" Puck smirked at her choice of words.

She gave him a playful shove. "Thanks for your concern though and for coming to my defense with Josh."

"Any time, little lady."

Rachel shoved him again with a smile. He _was_ too charming.

…

After the band had played most of their set, Josh paused to talk to the small crowd—largely McKinley high schoolers—enjoying their performance.

"We have a special addition to sing the next song with me—it's a song I had to do as a duet because of my secret crush on Mandy Moore," Josh grinned into the microphone.

Quinn raised her eyebrow. Trey piped up, "Not a secret anymore." He hit the drums and cymbals in a rim shot with comedic timing.

Josh resisted the urge to flip Trey the finger—this was an all-ages show, after all. "Yeah, thanks, man. I realized that." To move things along without further delay, he counted off the beats and started playing. Rachel moved to center stage and began singing _Someday We'll Know_.

_Ninety miles outside Chicago  
Can't stop driving, I don't know why  
So many questions, I need an answer  
Two years later you're still on my mind_

Whatever happened to Amelia Earhart?  
Who holds the stars up in the sky?  
Is true love just once in a lifetime?  
_**Did the captain of Titanic cry?**_

Quinn was still pondering his choice of song. She'd never told Josh about how much she loved Mandy Moore or the movie _A Walk to Remember_. She'd never told Puck either. Finn was the only one who knew. But somehow, Josh picked this song to sing, on this day.__

_**Oh, Someday we'll know**__  
If love can move mountains  
__**Someday we'll know**__  
Why the sky is blue  
__**Someday we'll know  
Why I wasn't meant for you...**___

Finn felt Quinn's shoulders stiffen. "Isn't this from that movie you like?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded. She was playing the lyrics in her head and she knew what was coming—unless Josh changed the lyrics, she was preparing to be pissed.

_Does anybody know the way to Atlantis?  
What the wind says when she cries?  
I'm speeding by the place that I met you  
__**For the ninety-seventh time...Tonight**___

Rachel let herself forget about her discomfort with the song once Josh did an impromptu spin move with her. They danced around as they sang and she realized she was having a lot of fun.

___**Someday we'll know**__  
Why Sampson loved Delilah?  
__**One day I'll go**__  
Dancing on the moon  
__**Someday you'll know  
That I was the one for you...**__  
_

There it was. And Quinn was pissed.

___**Open up the world**__  
I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow  
Watched the stars crash in the sea  
If I can ask God just one question  
__**Why aren't you here with me…tonight?**_

This time, Puck didn't feel the jealousy boiling over as he watched Rachel and Josh dance around each other while they sang. He just chuckled and enjoyed the moment. _****_

Oh, Someday we'll know_  
If love can move a mountain  
__**Someday we'll know  
**__Why the sky is blue  
__**Someday we'll know  
Why I wasn't meant for you...**_

Josh would glance at the audience (Quinn) every now and then, but for the most part he looked at Rachel during their duet lines. It was easier that way. But singing the song, this song, made him feel a little better.__

_**Someday we'll know**__  
Why Sampson loved Delilah  
__**One day I'll go**__  
Dancing on the moon  
__**Someday you'll know  
That I was the one for you...**_

…

When the song ended and Rachel left the stage, Quinn immediately descended on her.

"How could you do that to me?" Quinn whispered harshly. "And in front of Finn?"

"Did Finn realize anything?" Rachel asked.

Quinn glanced behind her. "I'm not sure. It's hard to tell with him."

Rachel nodded, understanding exactly what she meant about Finn's emotional acuity. "Well, I am sorry, but Josh blackmailed me, and I didn't think it would be…so direct."

"Blackmailed you?" Quinn raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"It's not important," Rachel said quickly. "And to be honest, Quinn, the song isn't that important either. What's important is how you feel. Josh was able to express his feelings, but what you do with that information is up to you."

"I suppose that's true," Quinn said slowly.

"Of course it's true," Rachel said breezily. "Besides, I doubt you'll really have to see Josh again if you don't want to."

Quinn frowned then looked at Rachel with resolve. "Yes, you're right. And it's probably best I leave Josh alone for awhile if he really feels that way…" Quinn leaned closer to Rachel. "Do you think he really thinks that he's the one for me?" she finished in a whisper.

"I think Josh always makes specific song choices," Rachel said carefully.

Quinn nodded. "I thought so."

"So it's settled then," Rachel stated with finality.

Quinn nodded again. "But Rachel?" she asked in a soft voice. "Will you check in with him every now and then? Just to make sure he's doing ok?"

Rachel's lips curved into a small smile. "Of course I will, Quinn."

"You don't have to tell me or anything," Quinn said quickly. "It's not like I need you to report back to me," she said with an affected casual air.

Rachel nodded. "I understand. I think you're making the right choice—with Finn. And you're a nice person—deep down—so it makes sense that you'd want to know that someone was making sure that Josh does well too."

Quinn didn't miss the back-handed compliment Rachel delivered, but Finn was approaching with his adorable half-smile, so she decided to let it go. "Thanks, Rachel. I'll see you at your party."

"Great!" she replied brightly. "See you both there! But you're not staying for the end of the show?"

"Oh, there's more?" asked Finn. "I figured once you left the stage, it was over."

Rachel smiled widely. "Well, I can understand why you would think that, but no, this is just a quick break before they do a little encore. It's a trick that works well in bars, but I'm not sure it works so well in coffee houses and cafés."

Finn nodded. "Well, sure, we can sit with you until the show's over. Right, Quinn?"

Quinn took a seat next to Rachel. "Right."

"Thanks, you two," she smiled. She was hoping Noah would play his original song in front of everyone for the encore. (Both for his sake and for her sake.)

But he didn't.

However, Rachel was pleased when Noah did take the lead on a song in the encore.

"Rachel, this one's for you," Puck smiled into the microphone.

The rousing strains of _More Than a Love Song_ began, and then slowed to a more romantic tempo.

_What can I say? I miss your eyes  
Nothing more  
What can a love song provide?  
Nothing more  
The words are a lovely try  
For something more  
And I wanna give to you  
Give to you_

More than a love song can give  
More than a feeling like this  
More than a dim light upon the path you walk  
More than the words can explain  
More than the falling rain  
More than the sun shines upon your lovely face  
It's more than a love song  


As she listened, Rachel felt like she was glowing with pride and happiness. Next time she'd convince him to play his original song, she vowed. But she still had a lot of good behavior for which to reward her boyfriend. She rushed to the stage—ignoring social decorum, and reached up to kiss Noah. All the guys in the band chuckled.

Josh didn't expect Quinn to coming running into his arms after the second little stunt he pulled.

She didn't.

Ok, it would have been nice if that was her reaction, but he wasn't expecting it or anything. He was expecting what he got.

The cold shoulder.

He was back to where he was before he and Quinn dated, broke up, and became friends. Josh decided it was time to stop looking backward and look forward instead.

He was going to be fine.

Even if the chill of Quinn's freeze out left him feeling a little hollow and left out in the cold.

…

Cold is what Rachel felt at her back-to-school party, in more ways than one. First, a freak cold front blew in from Canada, ruining her pool party plans. She and her dads still strung lights around the pool area and the gazebo, and they prayed that the rain was over so they could still host the event outdoors. But without swimming, Rachel was at a loss for how to occupy everyone. Fortunately, Puck saw her distress and came to her aid. "Well, we're a glee club…How about karaoke?" Rachel beamed and claimed he'd saved the day.

All was going well, until Santana gave Rachel the cold shoulder at her own party. Not that Rachel expected to be giggling with the likes of Santana, but she wasn't prepared for the way she brushed past her without a word of greeting and seemed to give her annoyed looks all night. Of course, Puck figured she was probably putting on the attitude to make up for sticking up for Rachel earlier. But Rachel didn't know about Santana's switch to her side against Puck, so she was definitely put off by Santana's extra side of bitchy, and he hated to see his girlfriend feeling down.

Puck was about to say something to Rachel when Santana put a finger to her lips and batted her eyelashes, telling him to keep quiet. Puck shrugged it off, giving her a look that showed how much he cared (not at all). But that look changed when Santana made a rude and graphic gesture which simultaneously impressed and terrified him. He gave a sharp nod of acknowledgment and strode past Rachel to the drink table: because he needed a drink—even if it was soda instead of alcohol. He reasoned that Rachel would forgive him if he didn't tell her about Santana's ounce of kindness until they were safely moved to New York. But Santana—that bitch be crazy. She'd have his balls in a jar if he didn't watch his back, or well, his balls. So he wasn't about to cross her.

Rachel switched from karaoke to dance music once the karaoke seemed to be dying out. That gave some time for dancing—including slow dancing. Mercedes gave Kurt a questioning look. "Of course, dear," he motioned for her and held out his hands. All of the couples paired up: Rachel and Puck; Finn and Quinn; Brittany and Mike; Santana and Matt; and Tina took a spin in Artie's chair.

Finn held Quinn in his arms as they swayed gently to the music. "I can see the stars in your eyes," he told her.

"Is that a line?" she asked with a smile.

"Is it?" Finn asked with a half-smile. "If it is, I didn't know it. It's just what I see. Maybe it's these lights," he gestured at the twinkle lights above. "But whatever I see, it's beautiful."

"Oh Finn," Quinn beamed up at him. She settled back into his arms. She knew they were both ready to make a fresh start. Together.

…

The party was going rather well. Rachel's dads left to get refills of drinks, also leaving the kids a little time to themselves, but not so long that they were worried. Unfortunately, traffic didn't cooperate with their plans. Aaron called Rachel in a state of mild panic. "There's been an accident," he said quickly into the phone.

"What?" Rachel shouted. "Are you ok? What about Daddy?"

Aaron realized his mistake. "Sorry, honey, I meant that we're stuck in traffic because there's been an accident ahead of us."

"Oh, don't scare me like that! But I'm glad to know you're ok. And thank you for calling so that I won't be worried."

"Of course. I'm nervous about leaving you kids alone for so long, but it can't be helped," he replied, anxiety evident in his voice.

"Don't worry, Dad, we can take care of ourselves," Rachel smiled into the phone. "We're practically adults."

"That's what I'm worried about," he admitted.

"Oh, Dad. Everything will be fine. Just concentrate on making it back here safely."

"I will, sweetheart. See you soon. I love you."

"Love you too."

As she hung up, Rachel knew she had to act fast. She strode over to her boyfriend and whispered to him about her dads. Finn gave them a questioning look.

"I've just gotten a call from my dads and there's an accident on Main Street," she announced. "They think it might be best to cut the party short since they can't be here to chaperone." She rolled her eyes as she played the role of the teenager with over-protective parents. "Of course, I explained that their concerns are unfounded, but unfortunately, I must call it a night and ask for you all to respect my dads' wishes and say goodnight."

There were some suspicious looks exchanged between her guests, but she ignored them.

"Do you need any help cleaning up, Rachel?" Tina asked. Most everyone piped up that they'd help. Santana just looked away dismissively.

"That won't be necessary, by I appreciate the offer," Rachel assured them as she ushered them out.

When the last guest cleared out, Puck chuckled, "Alone at last."

"I think this is the perfect time to give you your reward," Rachel said seductively.

"Sweet!" Puck didn't waste any time following her to her bedroom.

She closed the door and stood with her back to it for a few moments, gathering her composure. Puck wasn't sure what the delay was, so he started stripping. They needed to get this show on the road. Her dads wouldn't be gone forever.

Rachel gasped. Then she smiled at her boyfriend already pulling down his jeans. She cleared her throat to call for his full attention. "Noah, I've decided to give you something you've been wanting."

Puck stared at her, wide-eyed, racking his brain to figure out what she could possibly be talking about. But the sight of her tanned, toned little belly peeking out between her shirt and her jeans was way too distracting. Little Puck was already rising to the occasion.

Rachel smiled wider at the sight of his growing erection. She joined him by pulling off her black blouse, revealing her pink and black bra. This was followed by her shimmying out of her jeans, showing off her matching panties.

Puck was more than pleased by what he saw. He pulled off his boxers and sat on her bed as she walked toward him. He held her hips as she stood next to him, rubbing small circles with his thumbs.

"You're so fucking beautiful, Rach," he murmured. "Perky, perfect boobs," he said, releasing the clasp of her bra and freeing them for his lips to have their way.

Rachel moaned lightly in her pleasure and arched toward him. She liked the little red marks he would leave. Or she liked the feeling that resulted in the bruises.

Puck loved the way she shoved her boobs in his face, silently directing him. He didn't know if she even realized she was doing it, but knew he loved everything about her. His hands traveled lower and he told her what else he loved.

"And that firm little ass," he said, giving her rear a light slap before pulling down the flimsy cotton and lace. He massaged her from her hips, thighs, calves, as he rid her of the panties.

She smiled as she realized she still hadn't told him his reward. She kissed his lips, his neck, and then his earlobe. Then she whispered. "I'm giving you a chance to try a new position."

Puck stiffened even more—the blood was really pumping.

"You keep saying you want to bend me over…" she said teasingly, pulling away from him slightly. He got an amazing view of her body. And holy hell was he ready.

"You'll love it, I promise," he vowed. "And if you don't, just tell me and we'll stop."

She nodded, feeling heat pulsing through her with her growing anticipation. "I trust you."

With those words and the look she gave him to back up those words, Puck didn't think he could get any harder. And he didn't think Rachel could get any wetter. "Fuck," he grinned at the slipperiness on his fingers.

Instead of correcting him for his language, Rachel just assumed her position and turned her head to look at him coyly. "Is this ok?"

He almost lost it just at the sight of her. Damn. DAMN. "Fuck yeah, baby. You're so fucking hot. I'm gonna rock your world."

She giggled, which he might have taken the wrong way, but he was too busy getting himself into position behind her. As he entered, her giggle turned into more of an "Unf" sound.

"Are you ok?" he asked with concern. He wasn't ready for this to end before he got started, but he'd totally pull out if he had to.

"I…feel…so full."

He could tell he was filling her up too, and that meant he was totally in the best position to hit her G spot. But still, he had to make sure. "So, are you ok?" he repeated.

"I'm…great…it's…amazing."

Puck grinned. He was so the man. And he totally rocked her world in record time—before her dads returned home to a mess from a party with no guests. Timing (and position) was everything.

To keep up appearances, Puck left after helping clean up from the party, but he snuck back in to sleep in Rachel's bed with her. He couldn't resist. She just…well, she rocked his world—even if she thought that was a lame line. He fucking loved her so much.

…

Lying safe in Noah's arms, she sighed happily. She loved him so much. What a perfect way to end the summer.

She was sad summer was ending, but Rachel felt the uplifting hope that the best for the two of them was yet to come.

…

**END.**

…

**A.N.** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the latest chapters, and really any chapters:** PUCKLEBERRY PURE ****kaelaelameee DaniBelle129 Jen fresch** **slaygurl Nova802** **BittyAB18 rhiwe starkoala Maiqu kezztip LizzayMartini growingyoung deli LJ515 DyeMeCrimson**

And really, thank you all for following the Junior Year universe! I posted this conclusion about one year from when the first chapter of _Junior Year_ was posted. That seems like a pretty good run and a good place to end. Yes, end. This story has received much less traffic than _Junior Year_, so I'm not sure it would be wise to drag this out into a Senior Year, though I appreciate the helpful suggestions on the subject (especially **BittyAB18** who put in all kinds of thought into what I could do). I plan to take a break from writing because I have a very busy November. As some of you already know, during that time I'll catch up on my reading and reviewing other stories, and I'll be working on a new story outside of the Junior Year universe that I'm thinking of as a St. Puckleberry Fuinn (though I may add a little Sam into the mix, we'll see). This will embrace the events of Glee (from which Junior Year deviated) including Shelby, Beth, etc. So if you're interested, I'll be 'gone' for a while, but I'll be back—at least for one more story because it's in my head and it's got to come out.

Thanks again, everyone! I'm so appreciative of all the support!


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